Last week I went on a walkabout around my home city of Limerick in the South Circular Road area, a beautiful part of Limerick city. I spoke with a diverse group of people, including students, retired people, renters, homeowners, parents, grandparents, toddlers and teenagers. Many of these people can vote in elections and many of them are not able to do so but would like to if they knew how to register. I was explaining the long process of registering to vote to a worker from Lebanon and to a student from Japan. The…

SUVs represented 59% of passenger vehicle sales in January and February, which is up from 53% in the same period last year. There were very positive changes in the vehicle registration tax system two years ago. That system is working to some extent but not as well as we need it to work and the trend is now towards increased SUV sales. It is a matter of physics that SUVs are energy inefficient, whether they are petrol, diesel, or electric. If we are to meet our climate commitments, we have to curb sales of SUVs and …

At the international level, the Government has moved fast and has taken a leadership role. I commend the Taoiseach, the Minister and their Cabinet colleagues on stepping up to the challenge. Going back to the first moments of Putin's aggression against Ukraine, Ireland was clear about its responsibilities, understood its influence and urged a strong and united international response. As bad as the situation in Ukraine is, that leadership from Ireland and other member states has helped Ukraine in its efforts to resi…

I welcome the Bill and commend the Minister of State and his Department officials on the work they have done on it. The Committee on Environment and Climate Action, which I Chair, was tasked with pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill. I note Deputies O'Rourke and Smith, who are members of the committee, are present. They worked on pre-legislative scrutiny, as did I and Deputy Whitmore, who spoke earlier. I commend them on their efforts. I commend my colleague, Deputy Richard Bruton, who was appointed as a rapporteur…

At the weekend, I found myself on the ferry back from Cherbourg, France, to Rosslare. I was returning from a series of meetings in Paris at which the challenges of the current crises, relating to energy, food security, refugees and the strategic autonomy of the European Union, were discussed in depth. While those discussions were heavy and solemn, it was not until I boarded that ferry and saw for myself the sad and exhausted faces of hundreds of Ukrainians, on the last leg of their harrowing and arduous journey, th…

The war has brought escalating oil and gas prices and a consequent cost-of-living challenge here in Ireland. It makes sense that we should reduce our gas and oil use for that reason alone. It also makes sense to reduce radically our fossil fuel use because money spent on oil and gas in Ireland and across Europe, whether it is spent by individuals or by the State, goes towards Vladimir Putin's war machine. That machine is slaughtering innocent Ukrainians at this moment. Reports suggest the money flowing to Russia fr…

To add to the debate, the Limerick to Foynes rail line is a project the Minister knows well. I believe this is one of the low-hanging fruit pieces of rail infrastructure. We can get that open if we wish in a matter of just a few years. There is talk of trying to get it open in time for the Ryder Cup, but I believe we can do it sooner than that. If we open that rail line in the next 24 to 36 months, we can connect Limerick city, Patrickswell, Adare, Rathkeale, Askeaton and Foynes. There is a freight reason for this …

I want to add to the case my Clare colleague made for Clare County Council and subvention for those sites. For Limerick City and County Council, taking on these sites is a new departure. The Minister of State and Department should support Limerick county council in every possible way as it hands over the iconic King John's Castle in the heart of Limerick city, which has vast potential. That potential will not be realised unless significant and solid support is given by the Department in the context of the handover …

As we can see, we have a security crisis across Europe, and an energy crisis comes with that. Last week in this House the Tánaiste set out a very positive vision for a clean energy future for Ireland and for Europe, and this is indeed an opportunity for Ireland. He said clearly that the Government wants to develop a hydrogen economy in this country. I think that will require an all-of-government response. Ireland should not be satisfied to be a follower in this exciting new development; we should take the lead. We …

I thank Deputy Lahart. First, I welcome the Chairperson of the committee, Senator Flynn, to the House. She is an activist, a fighter for human rights and a role model not just for the Traveller community but for all society. I welcome the visitors in the Visitors Gallery. Senator Flynn spoke very eloquently. I was watching the proceedings in my office and watched and heard the round of applause. It was very well deserved. She has produced a report that gets through to people like me, who are not of her community an…

Cé go bhfuilim sásta an deis a ghlacadh chun labhairt inniu, caithfidh mé a admháil gurbh é an spreagadh a thug an Teachta Ó Cathasaigh dom an fáth go bhfuil mé ag labhairt i nGaeilge sa díospóireacht seo. Gabhfaidh mé leithscéal as mo chumas teoranta inár dteanga oifigiúil. Ní féidir liom an milleán a chur ar aon duine ach orm féin. Bhí múinteoirí maithe agam i Scoil JFK agus in Ardscoil Rís i mo chathair dhúchais, Luimneach. Ní go dtí na blianta beaga anuas a tháinig mé ar an tuiscint cé chomh tábhachtach is a bh…

Just a few weeks ago, we would have scarcely believed that we would find ourselves in a 1930s moment and yet here we are. A dictator has moved beyond threatening his neighbour. Putin has rained total devastation and indiscriminate slaughter down on Ukraine. He has gambled with the peace and stability of Europe, of his own country and of the world. In 1936, Éamon de Valera addressed the League of Nations in Geneva. He lamented the unwillingness and the incapacity of the League of Nations to defend Ethiopia. He said:…

I thank the Minister of State and his team for the work they have done to develop town centre first. It is a very good policy and is going to be critical in driving development across Ireland for many decades to come. It is going to be a very positive and sustainable development. I am minded to think of Éamon de Valera's words from 1943 in his famous speech, the "comely maidens dancing at the crossroads" speech. It was the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Gaelic League and de Valera expressed in the speech a…

Okay. I need to let Deputy Bruton take over. I commend this policy. We must ensure we help rural areas grow and prosper by ensuring the vast majority of development happens within the existing urban footprint of our rural areas. Our towns can be the engines of our rural economy and the centres of a rural society that is strong, integrated and resilient.

I welcome the Ukrainian ambassador, H.E. Larysa Gerasko, to the House. I would like to welcome the comments of the Minister, Deputy Coveney, at the opening of the debate. It was a strong speech which outlined the solidarity he, the Government and the House have with Ukraine at this time. I welcome the unity and solidarity expressed by Members across the Chamber. At the outset, I want to make the distinction that the Russian people are not Putin and Putin is not the Russian people. That distinction is critically imp…

I welcome the news that the Minister of State delivered in his opening statement that the first two citizens' assemblies will be concurrent. That will allow us to get on with the third and fourth citizens' assemblies as soon as possible, as per the programme for Government. It is also welcome that we will open access to citizens' assemblies to broader and more diverse groups. I think everybody in the House will agree with that change. At the risk of stating the obvious, we live in a representative democracy. This i…

I want to address the reasons as to why this retrofitting programme is so important. Why do we want to do this? There are many reasons. We want Irish people to live in warmer, healthier and more comfortable homes. In the context of health, asthma symptoms are reduced in warmer homes. Mould conditions increase the severity of asthma and retrofitting, particularly the ventilation aspect, reduces the conditions for mould to grow. Retrofitting results in less outdoor pollution and, therefore, fewer hospitalisations cau…

We are here today not just to talk about the Salthill cycleway. The decision in Galway on Monday night is the catalyst for a discussion on how we can achieve our climate ambitions. We are here to talk about a fundamental challenge we face. In the past 18 months, I have been privileged to chair the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action. We shepherded generational legislation through the Dáil and Seanad and wrote reports on the pertinent challenges associated with climate change and climate act…

I thank the Minister of State. I welcome the Minister of State's comments on the climate action regional offices. I must add, however, that climate action is urgent and there are projects in the pipeline now, such as the one in Salthill, that amount to climate action and which we need to take very seriously. We have a national policy that prioritises sustainable transport and mobility over private car traffic. Yet, in Galway, we see local elected representatives actively campaigning against national policy and acti…

I reject the personalised attack on the Minister of State by my fellow countyman earlier. This kind of populist politics is reprehensible and has no place in the House. I welcome the Minister of State's ongoing focus on, commitment to and prioritisation of inclusive transport for people with disabilities and we are fortunate to have her working on this portfolio. I welcome this motion from my fellow Deputies, but we cannot focus solely on adaptive cars. We need to be broader minded as to what an inclusive transport…