I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Higgins to the Seanad. Public procurement is a topic I have been very passionate about for a long time, and I thank the Minister of State for the kind comments in her own speech with regard to some of the work I have been doing, and some of the very positive engagement I have had with the Office of Government Procurement, including on my quality in public procurement legislation. I thank the Minister of State for her comments on that. With regard to this very important new st…

We will have statements on Europe Day later and I am looking forward to making a contribution. However, I have checked and Europe Day is usually celebrated on 9 May by the European Parliament and on 5 May by the European Council. While I am of course delighted we are going to have the opportunity to speak about Europe Day, I am a little puzzled as to why we are not doing so next week because today is International Workers' Day. It is May Day, the day for workers across the world. Since we are having Europe Day stat…

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I also welcome his commitment to engaging with the Seanad committee on the scrutiny of statutory instruments. It is an important part of how we play our role in ensuring we not only look at the EU laws and directives coming through but also contribute to ensure we have the best laws and decisions coming out of Europe. It is an important part of accountability and engagement. Others spoke about Europe's founding moment and the Schuman Declaration, which we will mark on E…

Fearing for your lives is exactly when you need to have standards in wars. It is why we have the Geneva Conventions.

The European Union and the United Nations were not produced in an idealistic, wonderful moment in history. They were produced in the realities of war, understanding the realities of war and that there are standards you must apply. I am very surprised to hear a Minister of State defending the decision-----

This is where Ireland can actually contribute. Ireland can contribute in helping out European leaders on peace. It is an unjust peace that is being proposed in Ukraine. Of course we want peace, but if Ireland had been more active in championing peace and pushing Europe to take the lead on peace, maybe we would be looking at a more just deal that fully respects the UN Charter and makes sure Ukraine has sovereignty over its resources in the future, which will be so important, and that there are talks about Resolution…

Apologies, I will come to the end. We throw it away, not for ourselves but for Europe as a whole.

Or the General Assembly.

Our 2005 Act allows us to act on the General Assembly, just to say.

The Leader has already proposed the motion in respect of Pope Francis. There has been a lot of discussion of him and his nature as a person. I do not agree with all of the church's teachings in many areas and have challenged the role the church has played in terms of the Irish State. Pope Francis's quotes and messages are really important contributions to thought in our time and the moral and policy space. He said that capitalism without limits create pain without limits. He said, "How can it be that it is not a ne…

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I will pick up on a couple of the points that have been talked about during the course of the debate. Coillte has been a focus for me for a long time. The Minister of State may or may not be aware that I have put forward proposed legislation on the mandate for nature, which was about changing the mandates of Coillte. Coillte is the largest landowner in the State, owning and controlling 7% of the land. Unfortunately, we have seen over a number of years policies in Coillt…

I welcome the Minister of State. In considering this, I have to join with others in saying that given the length of time the planning framework will cover and how important it will be as a frame for all of the policy discussions and issues we will raise over the next few years, I regret that we have not had a proper process going through committees with an opportunity to engage and consider the collective wisdom we may be able to draw from Oireachtas Members of all parties and expert witnesses. There have been cons…

Hear, hear.

I welcome the Minister. I commend the Cross-Party Group of Senators Harmon, Cosgrove, Noonan and Stephenson on bringing forward this legislation. In particular, I commend Senator Harmon, who highlighted this issue in her previous role and brought attention to it right across the political spectrum. It is a positive sign that she has followed through on those threads and issues now that she has the opportunity to do so in the Oireachtas. This welcome legislation builds on Bills that were previously tabled by both th…

I move amendment No. 1: In page 23, between lines 2 and 3, to insert the following: "Special provisions for search and rescue operations 30. (1) When conducting a marine safety investigation involving search and rescue operations, the Marine Accident Investigation Unit shall: (a) take into account the unique operational context of emergency response; (b) consider the time-critical and high-risk nature of such operations; (c) distinguish between decisions made during emergency response and standard maritime operatio…

My amendment proposes certain special provisions. I mentioned search and rescue, SAR, as one of the contexts that may arise in which special expertise is required, alongside environmental expertise. In effect, the amendment provides for special provisions search and rescue operations that may be undertaken by the vessels covered under this legislation. The special provisions I propose are that when conducting a marine safety investigation involving search and rescue, the marine accident investigation unit, MAIU, sh…

The Bill does not really address the particular circumstances of emergency responders. My amendment would strengthen the legislation. Following incidents like the tragedy involving Caitríona Lucas, it would help to ensure lessons are learnt while respecting the essential work of both the emergency responders and the marine accident investigation unit. The amendment would strengthen the Bill and it should be considered.

I understand the Minister of State is not accepting the amendment but I suggest we are just trying to ensure an understanding and expertise. We have suggested a few different ways of achieving these. During our consideration of the previous Stage, I suggested there be internal expertise within the independent unit or among the investigators it will be employing. I am not talking about the expertise of each investigator but about the whole spectrum of the MAIU's employees. I am suggesting it would have somebody or m…

I move amendment No. 2: In page 31, line 32, to delete "may" and substitute "shall".

Amendment No. 2 seeks to amend section 46(3) to ensure offshore vessels and IP rules shall include requirements the Minister considers necessary to implement the provisions of Chapter XV of the SOLAS Convention and the IP code. I am particularly concerned about the lack of an obligation on the Minister because this is inconsistent with the approach taken under other legislation. Let me move back in time. What are we talking about is the safety of lives at sea, SOLAS, convention. Its title is as clean and clear as c…