I am afraid I am not satisfied with those answers. Sadly, I have to say that I think the Minister of State's response is misleading, and it is important that it would be very clear in the record. To say that this legislation will apply to offshore wind and that is its limit is misleading because we know it goes further than that. The language is explicitly clear in the Bill with regard to servicing the hydrocarbon industry. The hydrocarbon energy sector is not wind energy, and it is covered by the terms in the Bill…

I move amendment No. 3: In page 31, line 35, to delete “may” and substitute “shall”.

I move amendment No. 4: In page 32, line 15, to delete “may” and substitute “shall”.

I move amendment No. 6: In page 33, line 3, after “rules” to insert the following: “with the exception of any rules that are necessary in order to implement the provisions of Chapter XV of the Safety Convention and the IP Code”.

Amendments Nos. 6 to 8, inclusive, concern exemptions. It was interesting what the Minister of State said about how there will be other kinds of vessels that the SOLAS Convention does not apply to, because applying the SOLAS Convention within the regulations does not mean they have to be consistent with it. There is nothing to say the Minister of State cannot exceed the provisions in the SOLAS Convention. On that idea that we have to say "may" because we may apply these standards to some vessels, I do not know if t…

I have been clear on multiple occasions that I am not seeking to legislate for LNG tankers. I am aware LNG tankers are covered. In fact, they are covered by the stronger provisions in the Merchant Shipping Act 2010. It is still not clear why in 2010 the Government was able to be definitive and talk about "shall", yet, a few years later, it has become so concerned with a different kind of practicality that it has been diluted to "may". I have been explicit about what is included in this Bill, namely, service vessels…

I have to object. That is an inaccurate and selective quoting from the Bill.

I move amendment No. 7: In page 33, line 3, after “rules” to insert the following: “with the exception of requirements outlined under subsection (3) ”.

I move amendment No. 8: In page 33, line 3, after “rules” to insert the following: “with the exception of offshore service vessels engaged in offshore industrial activity related to the hydrocarbon energy sector”.

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne. I was very glad to have the Tánaiste come to the House today. I am hoping he will be able to return, maybe to discuss this at more length, because we have had requests for debates over many periods of time. The nature of the week that is in it means the focus is going to be on tariffs, but there are a large number of issues which the Seanad needs to discuss in detail with the Tánaiste. I am looking forward to seeing him return quite soon. It is important that we have a…

I move: "That Committee Stage be taken now."

Section 2 relates to the restriction on the transit of military items and dual-use items to Israel in the context of the International Court of Justice ruling and the provisional measures it outlined, which were very clear about the responsibilities of all states to ensure they are not contributing to the risk of genocide and to take all necessary steps to prevent acts that may be committed in contravention of the Genocide Convention. Many right across the world and across Ireland in particular - I know because the…

I am very keen for the Bill to pass Committee Stage. The Government has been clear that it will not oppose its passing. We have such a thing as Report Stage whereby people can raise any issues they have. In fairness, the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, indicated there are issues on which he wishes to work and engage with Senators. We will be very happy to engage between Committee and Report Stages to strengthen and improve the legislation. That is how the process works. It does not work by seeking to torpedo Committee St…

Next Tuesday.

In speaking today, I realise that I missed World Poetry Day last week, which is important. The theme I want to address, Gaza, which is one we have called for a debate on previously, is sometimes best addressed through poetry. I am not going to read the poem by Dr. Refaat Alareer, "If I Must Die", which is a famous one, where he speaks about "If I must die, let it bring hope" to a child, somewhere in Gaza, looking up. He talks about making his life into a kite. I find it too sad, particularly given that, after his d…

I move amendment No. 6: In page 10, line 8, after “experience” to insert the following: “including, but not be limited to, environmental expertise and expertise in search and rescue operations”. The amendment relates to the investigations and investigators of incidents. It would specifically name environmental expertise and expertise in search and rescue operations as expertises that should be contained within the investigatory unit. It does not require that every individual investigator would have those expertises…

I would slightly quibble with that. I do not believe mentioning areas of expertise that are needed will dissuade individuals because it is needed across and we have this in a lot of other legislation. We have it, for example, in terms of the Climate Change Advisory Council. I can list off legislation in which we recognise that a range of expertise is needed across the entire team. It does not mean that every individual has to hit these different standards, either what I look for in amendment No. 6 or in terms of am…

I move amendment No. 13: In page 20, between lines 2 and 3, to insert the following: “(3) Where a person requests that a direction under subsection (1) be given in writing, an investigator must provide that direction by such means.”. Section 25 outlines the powers an investigator has but I am a little concerned about the lack of clear checks and balances in terms of the potential overreach of those powers and accountability for how they are used. Section 25 allows an investigator to give a direction orally or in wr…

With respect, what is in fact created by the current wording is ambiguity. It is not just a matter of a person at a site; it could be a person in the vicinity of the site. There may be an issue over language, for example. If, for instance, someone is simply engaged in an animal rescue after a disaster or accident, the direction might not be clear. There does not need to be a delay. My amendment does not state a warrant must be created nor does it require a judicial order. It does not even require that the chief inv…

On this section, I am surprised by the rulings regarding the amendments tabled by Sinn Féin but it would be useful to clarify, with regard to the core issues of the section, why these amendments cannot be considered at this time. This section is one where there is the possibility to address the core issues, which relate to co-operation with other authorities and how that works. It would be useful for us, especially before the Bill goes on to Report Stage, to be clear as to what the plans are for how this Bill will …