I thank the Minister. I completely agree. People want to have ownership of the processes into which we are entering in terms of a reduction on the reliance on fossil fuels and all of the associated energy sources we are now exploring. One of the areas in which a great deal of engagement with the public is required was mentioned by Deputy Ó Cathasaigh in the context of a prior question. I refer to solar energy generation and the knock-on effects and impacts it has on farms in particular. Ideally, we should not put s…

Following on from some of Deputy Hourigan's remarks, I have a query on the supply chain after 2030. Notwithstanding what certain industry experts have said, it is abundantly clear that a target of 5 GW is achievable, if difficult. However, given the competition we will face in the race to obtain the necessary components for the offshore wind energy sector post 2030, should we start looking at incentivising the creation of a domestic industry to supply this sector? How would we do that? Has the Minister considered t…

My contribution has nothing to do with the constituency politics or even the party politics of this. I can only talk about my own experience with the connection that came through Rush back in 2010. I can tell the House that political careers were created on it and then, on the back of the decision, political careers ended at the next local elections because people got it wrong. What troubles me about this discussion, and I remember reading up on it a number of years ago, is that the sector will determine what is th…

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate, which touches on some of the most important and core aspects of our country, how we run our elections and how we protect and enhance our very democracy. As we are all too aware, particularly during the last decade, democracy and the very notion of free and fair elections is not something we can take for granted. A great number of factors have been pressing on this in recent years, both domestically and internationally. In this context, we must recognise that w…

I am very pleased to speak on this Bill, which will have a tangible impact on workers across the State. I commend the Tánaiste and his Department, as well as the Oireachtas committee, for engaging in significant work on this subject matter. I thank them for their efforts. The introduction of this Bill will, for the first time, ensure that sick pay is put on a statutory footing and will allow all employees to avail of sick leave owing to illness or injury, which is to be welcomed. I had an opportunity to read the re…

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate, which takes place at a time when the world can see the writing on the wall when it comes to climate change. It is a time of acute increases in the cost of living, specifically relating to energy costs. I welcome the comments of the Minister, Deputy Ryan, the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste on a series of cost-of-living measures to be introduced soon. Such a step is important as it recognises the struggles families face with regard to heating their homes and making …

I thank the Minister. I listened carefully, as I always do, to the Opposition. I do not want to convolute the subjects of carbon budgets and carbon taxation, but there is still an argument in the House that now is not the right time to do this. To be frank, the right time was ten or 20 years ago, such is the impact that climate change will have, not in 20, 30 or 40 years' time, but in the next decade. We are already seeing the change. By acting now, we can ensure that we try to mitigate the worst effects of climate…

As the Taoiseach is aware, the HSE is having significant and sustained issues with retaining suitable staff to complete the 91 children's disability network teams across the country. Will he please outline the steps the Government is taking to arrest this critical deficit within the service, which is having an adverse impact on young people across the country?

Returning to the energy crisis, around seven weeks ago the Minister launched the national retrofit scheme. That is a welcome scheme for residences up and down the country and within that policy is the establishment of the one-stop shops. Will the Minister update the House on the progress that has been made on that to ensure householders can enter this scheme within a reasonable timeframe?

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Smyth, the Minister, Deputy Ryan, and the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications for their significant work on this Bill. It is a core tenet of the programme for Government and an extremely important Bill in the path to decarbonising our economy and ensuring we have a liveable planet in the future. There are some very significant and important steps on which the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action, of which I am a member, has done sig…

It does apply. I have two slight concerns, the first of which is timing. I fully appreciate this will not be implemented until there is some sort of public consultation, but that being said, the timing is not great. The cost of living is rising at a significant rate and such a measure would only add to that. However, there is a great deal we can learn from the consultation process that I am certain will ensue. The promotion of keep cups, among other measures, is certainly something on which I agree with the Departm…

An understandable distrust has been articulated in this House on several occasions and, indeed, outside it. Whether that is legitimate in 2022 is not for me to determine; it is for others to feel. I understand Opposition Members making the statements they have made this evening and on other occasions. However, the bottom line for me is what the Minister has said. Deputy Cullinane is right it is not new. It has been said many times and I do not think it is going to change. The reality of the situation versus what pe…

That is a fundamental part of this. Of course I would prefer that the site was owned by the State. I do not think any of us have any difficulty saying that. However, if this legal framework the Minister will be bringing to Cabinet satisfies the requirements he has set out, then I am satisfied. The only thing I am interested in for the rest of this debate is what Deputy Duncan Smith referred to, that is, that the service be provided, that there be no iconography associated with the owner of the land, and that the se…

What is happening in Ukraine remains an outrage not just to Europe but the entire world. It should be said very clearly that any attempts by the Russian Federation to indicate its so-called peace talks will result in anything meaningful must be backed up with troop withdrawals, and according to the Americans they have not taken place. In Ireland, however, we must continue to support the Ukrainian people in Ukraine, Poland and in other countries on the borders, as well as here in Ireland as best we can. I repeat wha…

Is the Bill opposed?

Since this is a Private Members' Bill, Second Stage must, under Standing Orders, be taken in Private Members' time.

I am pleased to finally see this Bill being brought into Dáil Éireann, having been discussed and awaited for some years now. The Bill and its introduction to the legislative framework is something Fine Gael has been committed to across successive Governments. Today represents progress for thousands of families in Ireland and the tens of thousands of couples who will in future require support when starting their own families. There exist significant gaps in the current legislation that have left many families in leg…

In light of the Russian war on the people of Ukraine, a conversation has started that was referred to on many occasions in the House in the past couple of weeks as regards our place in the world in a military sense. It relates to whether we should be militarily non-aligned or otherwise. The Taoiseach yesterday referred to the prospect of a citizens' assembly debating this subject and in light of the Commission on the Defence Forces report, which I acknowledge the Government will respond to by the summer, it is crit…

I thank the Minister for the opportunity to discuss this important motion. In recent years we as a society have become more aware of the corrosive and insidious problem of hate crime and hate speech. The advent of social media has connected the world in ways that until recently were beyond imagination. Unfortunately, this is not the first war to be seen on social media but it certainly feels like it. I think it was in its infancy on the last occasion there was a significant dispute around the world. The Internet an…

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate. The pandemic uprooted the lives of everybody in Ireland and had a severe impact on our business community. No one will forget particularly March of 2020, when an unprecedented situation befell us. The impacts of the pandemic spared no one and no organisation. Businesses of all sizes faced uncertainty that no one envisaged. I am proud of the actions taken by the previous and present Governments to protect jobs, livelihoods and lives during the pandemic. We step…