My one-line response to that is that there is an amendment I have not been able to put forward because I did not get to it on Committee Stage. It relates to the cost of dealing with the oil and gas infrastructure of companies that are exiting. It is very important that such costs do not end up coming out of this fund. That is one of the reasons this was important. We should not end up having to effectively pay the cost of fossil fuel companies exiting. It is very important that levies be charged so that companies p…

I move amendment No. 40: In page 29, to delete lines 5 to 32.

This amendment relates to the section of the Bill which is supposed to be the section in which we pull back from fossil fuels and stop issuing licences. I will pull up the relevant pages because this is a matter on which it is useful to have the facts. Unfortunately, the withdrawal is not as clean as it should be. This is because, in saying that new licences will not be issued, a number of exemptions are provided for, including in situations where, prior to commencement of the section, the Minister has entered an u…

I hate to detract from a very good story but the Bill allows for the granting of petroleum prospecting licences under sections 20(2), 20(3) and 20(4) and for the granting of petroleum leases under sections 20(3) and 20(4). These provisions do not exist in the principal Act and are not existing commitments. They provide for situations where the State can grant new things if there has been previous engagement. Section 20(6) refers to existing commitments but sections 20(2), 20(3) and 20(4) are about granting new thin…

The Minister of State is hearing from everybody that everybody wants public houses on public land. Like Senator Moynihan, I had wanted a land development agency, or something close to it, for some time but I always believed that, for one to be successful, it would need to be a non-commercial State agency. The delivery of public housing on public land, as described by Senator Warfield, should be through supporting local authorities and through a non-commercial State entity. That combination is clear but there is sti…

I completely support the calls we made in the House previously, of which the Leader will be aware, and the cross-party motion we all passed calling for proper pay and recognition for our secretarial assistants who do extraordinary work and are the key and only staff member of most Senators. I want to echo that reminder. I hope the message will go back to the Government that our secretarial assistants should not have to fight for something which has been very well established they need. Even in the previous Seanad, …

I know it is not.

Along with the marine protected areas.

I had mentioned in the previous debate that I would move amendment No. 41 on behalf of Senators Bacik and Moynihan.

I move amendment No. 41: In page 10, to delete lines 31 to 40, and in page 11, to delete lines 1 to 39 and substitute the following: “(8) In performing their respective functions under this section, the Minister and the Government— (a) shall ensure that the national long-term climate action strategy is consistent with— (i) climate justice, and (ii) a just transition to a climate neutral economy which, in so far as is practicable— (I) maximises opportunities for decent, fair and high-value work that is environmental…

We have quite a way to go so I will not spend too long in my response. I am surprised at the Minister of State's response to amendment No. 56, given how much focus we have had on agriculture. A good quarter of the debate the last time was on agriculture and on the somewhat rushed decision in respect of how removals have been included. A lot more clarity and nuance were needed before that was inserted. When we talk about clarity and nuance, that is something that should have been done much more clearly and we should…

Ireland came last out of 15 countries on the SDGs on environment, specifically, so that is an example of why we must link them.

I move amendment No. 42: In page 10, to delete lines 31 to 40, and in page 11, to delete lines 1 to 39 and substitute the following: “(8) For the purposes of performing their respective functions under this section, the Minister and the Government shall act in a manner consistent with the following matters— (a) Articles 2 and 4 of the Paris Agreement, (b) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change advice, (c) the Aarhus Convention, (d) the UN Convention on Biodiversity, (e) the National Climate Objective, (f) Climat…

I move amendment No. 43: In page 10, line 38, after “development” to insert “, including the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals,”. I am going to withdraw this and reintroduce it on Report Stage. Hopefully the Government will have its own version by then but I will certainly be reintroducing mine then.

I move amendment No. 44: In page 10, line 40, after “advice” to insert “including advice from the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change”.

I move amendment No. 45: In page 11, line 5, after “maximise” to insert “quality”.

I move amendment No. 46: In page 11, line 8, to delete “climate neutral economy” and substitute “completely decarbonised economy”.

I move amendment No. 47: In page 11, to delete lines 13 to 16 and substitute the following: “(i) the emissions of greenhouse gases into the Earth’s atmosphere attributable to the consumption of products or utilisation of services in the State;”.

I move amendment No. 48: In page 11, to delete lines 20 to 24 and substitute the following: “(k) the requirements for a just transition which is the importance of taking action to reduce net emissions of greenhouse gases in a way which— (i) supports environmentally and socially sustainable jobs, (ii) supports low-carbon investment and infrastructure, (iii) develops and maintains social consensus through engagement with workers, trade unions, communities, non-governmental organisations, representatives of the intere…

I move amendment No. 49: In page 11, line 20, to delete “climate neutral economy” and substitute “completely decarbonised economy”.