A lot of wind programmes are currently in planning. Will the Minister of State indicate what the capacity would be if all of those planning permissions were to come good and deliver those wind projects? What would be the capacity at that stage?

That is all welcome news. In my constituency, there are a number of plans relating to offshore wind. We do not really have the land space to be developing much in the way of onshore wind in Dún Laoghaire but there are two particular projects in the Dublin Array and the Codling Wind Park that will deliver a lot, not just in clean energy but also for the facilities onshore and the use of Dún Laoghaire Harbour to help deliver that. In the context of a windy island like Ireland, the importance of building our capacity,…

The Minister of State put his finger on it with regard to public consultation. Some of these projects can be very controversial and it is really important to bring people with them and show them the benefit of the project not only to us all but also to local communities. In the context of the two projects I mentioned to the Minister of State, I know from speaking to people in Dún Laoghaire that there are two major concerns. One is the loss of visual amenity. As you look out across places like Dalkey Island that hav…

I, the Tánaiste and the Fine Gael Party campaigned in relation to the cost of childcare at the election last year. I was pleased that we made sure it was central to the programme for Government that we would reduce the cost for parents to €200. We know that has not happened yet, but I understand that work is taking place in that regard. We also know that some childcare providers are leaving the sector in anticipation and because it has not happened yet. Can the Tánaiste provide us with an update on how progress is …

I will start by distinguishing something that is not distinguished enough in public discourse, namely, the difference between immigration and migration. Very often, when I deal with people on these issues, they do not necessarily make that distinction. Immigration, or people who come here to work, live and contribute to our society at lots of different levels, includes people we absolutely need. They keep our hospitals running and our hotels, restaurants and communities busy. At a time when we have full employment …

I remember speaking many years ago to a resource teacher in Loughlinstown in my constituency. He was saying that if you ask a child in the classroom to throw a balled-up piece of paper into the bin, they can all do it to the same extent, except it is much easier for the kids sitting at the front of the class than it is for the kids sitting at the back of the class. What this is about is levelling the playing field. This applies to disability as much as it does to educational opportunity. We must, therefore, be look…

My question is about the free solar panel scheme for schools, how many schools are in the scheme in progress and whether it can it be extended to private schools.

I thank the Minister and am delighted to hear her answer. I welcome this scheme; it is a great one. Even the rate of take-up the Minister outlined is impressive and is key to meeting our climate targets. It allows schools, as much as the rest of society, to address their emissions and reduce their carbon footprint. The Minister said fee-paying schools and private schools - and we must remember that not all private schools are fee-paying - may have access to fees that non-fee paying or non-private schools do not hav…

I am very grateful to hear the Minister is open to the expansion of this scheme. I appreciate what she has said. I believe the take-up would be strong among all schools if the eligibility criteria were extended. I understand entirely that no resource is infinite and the Government has to spend money where it is needed most. I welcome the Minister's commitment to engaging with the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, on possibly expanding the scheme before its conclusion. There is a danger we perceive private schools as being …

The patrol of our coasts and coastal waters is a mammoth task for the Defence Forces, customs, An Garda Síochána, the RNLI and the Coast Guard. I want to put on record my admiration for those involved in the seizing of the MV Matthew and the drugs haul that came with it. The work done by the Defence Forces, the RNLI and An Garda Síochána has borne great fruits for this country in stopping the drug shipment. The patrolling of this enormous exclusive economic area is a very difficult task. Is there a role for more ec…

I share the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach's sentiments and welcome the Norwegian ambassador. I welcome this legislation, which was brought to Cabinet by the then Minister, Deputy Helen McEntee, in January last year and has progressed since then. It is a very welcome development of the law in relation to the seizure of criminal assets. I will start by making a point on the drafting of the Bill and the way it is presented, which the Minister, and certainly his officials, have heard me make before. In any amending legislati…

I am very proud of what we have done as a country. That is not politics; that is people. When we look back ten years to what was done in this jurisdiction as regards the referendum on marriage equality, we have a basis on which to be proud for the fact that we recognised at that time that love is love and that equality of access to marriage was hugely important for everyone. I was part, as many people in these Houses were, of the campaign at that time, very much a civil society campaign as opposed to a political on…

I have been following this proposal from the European Commission since June. Honestly, when I first read of it I was surprised it was not in place already. Iceland and Norway are two functional members of the wider European community that are associated with Schengen. We deal with them regularly and we can have great faith in their systems, rule of law, respect for rules around data protection and those kinds of things. We are dealing with two countries and the notion that there are passenger flights or other trans…

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate. I also welcome the establishment of the commission by the Minister last week. It is appropriate but, at this juncture, it is worth looking back at how it came about. Reference has been made to those survivors who brought it about through their courage. Let us never underestimate the courage and determination it would have required for the victims who came forward in the "Blackrock Boys" episode of "Documentary on One" and all the people who came after them, en…

Question No. 73 relates to the work the Tánaiste is doing relating to the EU-Israel association agreement. I respect hugely the work that we have done in the European Union, that the Tánaiste has done in the European Union and the respect for the rule of law. Given that there is ample evidence to suggest that Israel is outside the terms of that agreement and that it is not respecting the rule of law or humanitarian law, evidence of which we see time after time, as well as the advisory opinion of the ICJ, can we per…

I put on record my admiration for the fact that the Tánaiste has put together a coalition among our European colleagues. It is no small feat. Given what he has said and given the inconsistency of the strength of action that Europe has taken on Russia, and the lack of action taken regarding Israel, how can we continue to have faith in the operation of the rule of law if this is not an almost automatic thing? Where the breach has been found, how is unanimity still required when, on the face of it, there are clear bre…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as ucht bheith anseo déanach ar an Déardaoin chun déileáil leis an gceist seo. This is an issue I have raised on a number of occasions, that is, the attitude of the State towards the treatment of survivors of thalidomide. The Minister of State will be aware that thalidomide was a drug that was used in the early 1960s by women in relation to morning sickness but what is important is that it had a hugely adverse effect on their subsequent children. We have fewer than 40 survivors of thal…

I thank the Minister of State. I acknowledge the reason for the absence of the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton. I applaud her for acknowledging the massacre in Srebrenica. I also understand what the Minister of State, Deputy Collins, said; I know he is reading a response on her behalf. The statement that the Government is committed to helping the survivors of thalidomide is all very well but the point I am making is it is taking too long. The process is there and the process is fine but what we have not had is a…

I will shortly talk about EU expansionism but I feel I need to address some of the comments Deputy Lawless has made about hate speech legislation. I am very much an advocate for free speech. Quite apart from the fact that it is a right under the European Convention, it is a constitutional right in this jurisdiction which must be respected and maintained. However, having a law that says that people cannot use their power and their right to speak freely to incite hatred against certain groups is not a restriction of …

The Deputy can read the comments I made on this in the Seanad. As the Fine Gael justice spokesperson in the Seanad, I spoke for a very long time on many occasions on that Bill. There is no doubt whatsoever about my views on this. The Deputy speaks as if there are no restrictions on free speech and suggests we should tell the EU to go and get stuffed. What kind of a comment is that to make? We were introducing legislation that would protect minorities that are put upon by people because of what they are, not who the…