I move amendment No. 24: In page 4, between lines 19 and 20, to insert the following: “(4) The High Court shall have full discretion to refuse leave for enforcement of an award made pursuant to an international agreement to which this section applies where such enforcement would run contrary to an opinion of the International Court of Justice.”. Amendment No. 24 is an important one but our time is constrained, so I will be very brief. Amendment No. 24 asks that the High Court would have discretion to refuse leave f…

I move amendment No. 25: In page 4, between lines 19 and 20, to insert the following: "(4) The High Court shall have full discretion to refuse leave for enforcement of an award made pursuant to an international agreement to which this section applies where such enforcement would not be in the public interest.".

Amendment No. 27 relates to the fact that we do not know what is coming. There is the old-time phrase “a pig in a poke”, and that is what it is. We are left wide open to future agreements or arbitration mechanisms any kind. As was said, the Dáil may be a technical imprimatur in relation to this, but the Seanad, which has shown great interest in these areas, will not. Agreements will not be subject to the kind of pre-legislative scrutiny that the Government sought to have waived on CETA. They will not be subject to …

I second the amendment. I am very happy to support Senator Stephenson's Bill. I was deeply disappointed when my arms embargo Bill was blocked in this House. It was, again, a Bill seeking to address the transit of arms. Senator Stephenson's Bill is taking a different approach, but an equally constructive one, to the wider issue of the transit of arms and other inappropriate uses of our airspace and airports. The Bill is very constructive. I believe it addresses many of the reasons and rationales we heard from the Go…

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to give effect to the prohibition of the use, stockpiling, production, transfer, development and investment in autonomous weapons systems.

Next Tuesday.

It is a crucial time for Europe. We are seeing not just worrying decisions about Europe's future but also much of Europe's past being eroded at present. I took part in the Future of Europe process; I was one of the four parliamentarians from Ireland. When I spoke to the 800 citizens from across Europe, they spoke about European values. In a real sense, when they talked about them they meant the fundamental rights and the increase in environmental standards, employment standards and equality standards. That is what …

But none of them say it.

Some of my colleagues jumped ahead to discuss specific amendments. I will be coming back later to these specific amendments, including amendments Nos. 29 and 30, which relate to the Paris Agreement. I want to pick up on some of the core points. I will be very happy to tease out some of the specific issues with the Minister of State as we come to them. I need to highlight two core points. First, this is financially and politically reckless. It is reckless in every sense. The consequences are unknown but what we do k…

It was like five minutes beforehand.

I will be brief because I am keen to get to my amendments. In the spirit of the yes-no answers, I would like just a few, and the Minister of State might front-load my questions - I know he will be limited in his time for a response - to ensure they are answered. The Minister of State has focused again and again on the right to regulate and t's and i's. The right to regulate is there. Of course it is. It would be quite something if they could take away the right to regulate. The sovereignty and the courts issue has …

That is a stretch of a presumption. Provisional application has been spoken about by everyone.

There was a bit of a stretch of a presumption by the Minister of State so-----

-----it would need to be challenged.

The previous system still applies. That was a factual question I asked.

Article 8.23 of CETA. It was a factual question.

Where there is consent.

I asked about fair and equitable treatment.

And about inducements.

I asked four very specific questions.