The Order of Business is No. 1, motion regarding the arrangements for the sitting of the House on Wednesday, 17 December 2025, to be taken on conclusion of the Order of Business, without debate; No. 2, motion regarding appointment of members of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, to be taken on conclusion of No. 1, without debate; No. 3, motion regarding the Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2025 - back from committee, to be taken on conclusion of No. 2, without debate; No. 4, Finance Bill 2025, a certified money Bill - Report and Final Stages, to be taken at 3 p.m. and the proceedings thereon shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion at 4.15 p.m. by the putting of one question from the Chair, which shall, in relation to recommendations, include only those set down or accepted by the Government; No. 5, Social Welfare and Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System (Amendment) Bill 2025 - Committee and Remaining Stages, to be taken on conclusion of No. 4 and the proceedings thereon shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 15 minutes by the putting of one question from the Chair, which shall, in relation to amendments, include only those set down or accepted by the Government; No. 6, Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks (Amendment) Bill 2025 - Committee and Remaining Stages, to be taken on conclusion of No. 5 and the proceedings thereon shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after three hours by the putting of one question from the Chair, which shall, in relation to amendments, include only those set down or accepted by the Government; and No. 7, motion regarding the proposed approval by Seanad Éireann of an opt-in to a Council decision authorising member states to sign, in the interest of the European Union, the Third Additional Protocol to the European Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters, to be taken at 7.45 p.m. or on conclusion of No. 6, whichever is the later, and to conclude after 40 minutes, with the time allocated to the opening remarks of the Minister not to exceed five minutes, group spokespersons not to exceed five minutes, time may be shared, and the Minister to be given not less than five minutes to reply to the debate.

As we call out the horrific actions in Gaza and the West Bank in this House, so must we call out the appalling actions on Bondi Beach over the weekend, where 15 people were callously murdered on the first day of Hanukkah as they gathered to celebrate their faith. Our very deepest sympathies must go to the families and community of all of those impacted. Our thoughts and prayers go to all the members of the agencies who came to try to help and support those injured and the families of those who died. Many of us have memories of being on Bondi Beach and of spending time there. It is a place where a lot of Irish people go. This time, many years ago, I was on Bondi Beach myself. Now, we are hearing of the futility of this. When we think about it, we all share the same planet and all our blood bleeds the same. We all share the same hopes, aspirations and dreams. We again see this awful war just spilling out and impacting so many people. We just have to pause to think, reflect and hope that someday this awful war will be over.

This morning, I went, as I do every year, to Paul O'Connor, who has a herbal shop in Newbridge, to get an immune tonic. I highly recommend this immune tonic. It has got me through many winters. In the course of the conversation, he told me had to put his prices up by 33%. The price of a bottle has gone from €35 to €42. Why is this the case? It is because he was contacted, as indeed were others in the same business, a number of months ago to be told their products are now being treated as luxury goods. This means the VAT has gone up to 23%.

Now, holistic treatments are important and it does not mean people are rejecting modern medicine. The herb is very tightly regulated in Ireland, and rightly so. Anybody who is an herbalist has to have licensing according to 2007 legislation. It is absolutely wrong, though, that people would be penalised. I am talking about the people who would actually go to receive and buy these products, which absolutely help to support their immune systems. I would, therefore, like to see a debate on this issue.