Why? Was this a good move?

Well, John, we have a tradition of peacekeeping.

I think Irish forces have been on peacekeeping missions continuously since 1958.

And as we know, Irish peacekeeping forces, some of them have lost their lives in the role of peacekeeping.

That is going to come to an end.

There will no longer be any peacekeeping missions sanctioned by the United Nations Security Council.

There hasn't been a new one since 2014.

What's changed?

So why not be the bigger people here?

John, there is significant knock-on effect of this.

There are thousands, tens of thousands of children not in school today.

There are university students not in college today.

There are patients who have appointments cancelled.

Nobody is at a loss as to the impact of this.

It's really, really challenging to maintain public services in a setting like this.

Do you see a solution where this can be resolved before there's further industrial action this day week?

countries

to recognise the Palestinian state, as we have done.

And I think through the political mechanisms, it's the appropriate way for the government to make political points.

That does not obviate the possibility of you stepping in here, though.

for the government to make political statements through sporting organisations.

The operation of the sporting organisation is for themselves.

And I think, I have to say as well, Cormac, I think the players conducted themselves very well actually and it was clearly obvious that they resented the fact that they had to participate in the game but they were doing so because UEFA wouldn't take the stance that the FAI asked them to take at the outset of the tournament.

I

But there

has to be negotiation.

I mean, it's the only way to resolve the issue.

And the minister has invited the unions to negotiate.

I would hope that they would respond quickly.

as soon as possible.

I see no reason why they wouldn't respond tomorrow.

But if productivity is mentioned, if they're not mentioned then, specifically nurses and prison officers and so on, and I take your point, they're not mentioned, who is in mind?

OK, John Connolly, are you sympathetic to that plea for a 45 million euro bailout or funding of creches?

Well, I suppose you'd have to be sympathetic to any plea where people think that the workplace is uncomfortable.

I suppose from my own professional experience in schools, if there was a red warning, we would close the school.

If there was an orange warning, you know, there would be a local decision maybe to adapt the school day or to make provisions in whatever prospect it might be in terms of could harm children with the orange warning.

But in the yellow warning, we traditionally would never have have closed the school.

We would have made, have to have made some certain adaptations to the day as well.

But it is a concern to hear that childcare places are closing.

So this is a national scandal.

He says you invited him

....

No, no, I couldn't do that.

I couldn't do that.

I, I met the Galway delegation and my sense of it was that the Galway de-delegation could make progress if they engage with the Irish Road Hauliers Association, and I believe the Hauliers association were available to do that and open to that.

And when we met last night with the Gal-with the Galway delegation, uh, they wanted to m-- to try and create, um, I suppose a general sense that there was an effort here to bring this, eh, protest to an end.

But how can he have gotten the wrong end of the stick so wholeheartedly? Well, they want to engage the Dublin, em, th-the protesters from other areas.

So to be absolutely clear, James Geoghegan says, "John Connolly invited me." John Connolly says, "No, I didn't"

Strongly worried letters don't pay for home heating oil?

Well, it's more than letters.

I think tomorrow Minister Burke is meeting with them and I would encourage the public as well to make sure that they make the Competition and Consumer Protection Association aware if they feel that they have been the victim of any price, unfair price pricing or price increase.

The government are taking action.

They are asking and using the levers that are within legislation to try and monitor the situation.

I think it is important to say, though, I agree with Minister Chambers, this is an unpredictable, it's volatile.

We would hope that some of the warring parties would see their senses over coming days, and that maybe some stability might be brought back to the Middle East region.

And secondly, that thing of people incapable of paying their home heating or some kind of emergency support.