I move amendment No. 7: In page 9, between lines 12 and 13, to insert the following: “ “United Nations Sustainable Development Goals” means the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 1 to 17 set out in the document entitled “Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, published by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs 2015” or any document which amends or replaces that document.”. The amendment seeks to insert a definition of the UN Sustainable Development Goals into the Bi…

The circular economy Bill references the sustainable development goals and it does not have an issue with doing so. There are formulations that allow for references to the sustainable development goals and the subsequent goals that may follow them, as was done in relation to the millennium development goals, which preceded them. The Minister of State mentioned a number of bodies that would be engaged with, but I do not believe those bodies are named or reflected in the Bill. The Minister of State mentioned that the…

I move amendment No. 8: In page 9, to delete lines 15 to 19 and substitute the following: “(3) In this Act, references to environmental development and sustainability shall be construed as references to development and actions that meet the needs of the present and which contribute to climate action without accelerating or worsening the climate emergency for those already experiencing its effects and those belonging to future generations who may experience its impacts.”.

I move amendment No. 9: In page 9, to delete lines 15 to 19 and substitute the following: “(3) In this Act, references to environmental development and sustainability shall be construed as references to developments and actions which comply with actions under the Paris Agreement, the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, includes actions in respect of social, economic, cultural and environmental de…

I move amendment No. 10: In page 9, line 16 after “present” to insert the following:“, while recognising historic responsibility for climate change and its effects on current populations,”

The grouping is-----

I will address my amendments in this group. The points made by Senator Clonan are important, in terms of best practice in respect of intellectual freedom, parity of esteem between areas and the other principles around support for foundational research, which he emphasised. The Senator mentioned his research in respect of the armed forces. There is a key ethical question which needs to be addressed, and I may bring forward amendments on Report Stage to address it. I refer to how core ethics relate to a research body…

First of all, it would be good if the Department responded to the consultation and was explicit that Ireland, as a neutral country, and bear in mind one with very concrete legislation in areas like cluster munitions and so forth, believes in the retention of a separation between civil and military research, especially in the current geopolitical context when, for example, we know of the extraordinary increase in arms and military products that have been exported from Europe and have been going to Israel. We know th…

I move amendment No. 12: In page 9, line 25, to delete “or expedient”. Amendment No. 12 seeks to amend section 3 on regulations and orders by deleting the provision in subsection (2), which allows the Minister to make regulations which include such incidental, supplementary and consequential provisions as appear to the Minister to be expedient for the purposes of the regulations. The word "necessary" is already there, so it covers situations where we need to have incidental, supplementary and consequential provisio…

Before we agree, and I am not going to block it, I wish to highlight that I am concerned about this practice. I am disappointed to see it come from this Department but it has come systematically from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and others where there have been very large-scale changes and additions to Bills, additional provisions and amendments and whole new areas of work tagged on to legislation at a very late stage, in this case midway through Report Stage in the Seanad. This does not…

The practice of tagging unrelated amendments to Bills is something that needs to end. I have some concerns and questions regarding the transfer of maritime area planning functions from the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, namely, the fact that while we need offshore renewables and progress relating to them, there is a concern that there seems to have been a very strongly developer-led approach rather than an environmentally led appr…

Citing war is never a great reason for doing things. It is not a good rationale, certainly in terms of the environment. One of the things the war is currently being used to justify on the part of Ireland’s energy strategy is buying coal from Colombia with massive environmental and human rights breaches. We have somehow justified that and used the war to justify it, and that is inexcusable from any environmental or human rights perspective. It is not a matter of “It is war - anything goes.” The standards need to be …

I will finish at this point except to note that if there is close co-operation, the Minister of State should already know when that legislation will be published. We should not be in the position where we are being asked to move ahead in one aspect of what happens in our waters, in the seas of Ireland, without knowing the other piece. It is not a general query. I am sure we can get somebody to ask a parliamentary question, but it is does not give me confidence that there is an actual plan that includes environmenta…

Okay. Thank you. I look forward to it.

I would like to move amendment No. 4.

I do not have my seconder with me, unfortunately. I will not be able to discuss this, unless one of my colleagues from the Government side wants to second the amendment, which concerns a report.

A similar situation has arisen. There is a tiny chance that somebody will arrive on time. Is it possible for me to move the amendment and then have it seconded subsequently? Do I need to move it, have it seconded and then speak?

Is it possible to ask for a suspension for two minutes?

Okay. I will ask for a quorum.

I move amendment No. 5: In page 8, line 6, after “order” to insert “, with such an order requiring approval by resolution of both Houses of the Oireachtas,”.