Decriminalisation is an issue that the Labour Party and my colleagues have been raising consistently over a number of years. I am proud to be in a party that has been pushing consistently for reform of our societal attitudes to drug use, from Pat Rabbitte 30 years ago establishing the drug and alcohol task forces around the country to the steadfast leadership of Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, now our MEP for Dublin, when it has come to the issue of decriminalisation. I pay tribute to the Tallaght drugs and alcohol task force. …

I congratulate our former colleague Catherine Connolly on her inspiring win after her presidential campaign. I wish her all the very best in her upcoming term as Uachtarán na hÉireann and our tenth President. I welcome the opportunity to speak about this Bill. It is one of significant consequence, not only for our energy system but also for our economy, environment, society and country more broadly. It deals with one of the most crucial challenges we face now and in the near future, namely, how we generate, deliver…

My thanks to Aontú for bringing forward this timely motion. The role of the President has of course changed somewhat in recent decades. The President has essential constitutional duties to fulfil but there is a wider significance to the Head of State's role that is not set out in Bunreacht na hÉireann, although it has nonetheless come to be a central aspect of it. I am referring to the role of acting as a first citizen, of unifying and representing the Irish people at home and abroad and of the role of being a voic…

Hear, hear.

I am going to focus on the climate and energy aspects of the budget. I will start by giving some credit to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. There have been some positive steps from a long-term emissions reduction perspective. For starters, I am glad he has convinced the Minister of State, Deputy Healy-Rae, of the need for carbon taxes. The funding given to EirGrid and the ESB for grid investment is very much welcome and will help unlock our renewable wind energy capacity. I was happy to see some, though not enough, ad…

I did not mention anyone.

No problem.

No, it is the market.

The Taoiseach says we never say anything positive on this side of the House. We also welcome the time set aside, at our request, to speak about Gaza this week and speak about this plan. We see a plan being presented which we hope will lead to a sustainable peace but which seems to be a half-baked effort imposed on the Palestinian people. We welcome the discussion on it and we welcome the cross-party motion on the flotilla.

I am glad to have the opportunity to speak on this Bill. There are a few elements to it and I am broadly supportive of what it sets out to achieve, but with some qualifications in certain areas. The main element of the Bill is the changes to the EPA licensing. I welcome the initiative to take a more streamlined approach. I must admit that I was initially a little uneasy with elements of the licensing reform proposed in the Bill. Almost intuitively, what appears on the face of it to be a softening of environmental i…

I am aware of that. They said we will never be able to properly develop an indigenous biofuels industry as long as that happens. I know the Minister is aware of these concerns. I welcome the regulations he has introduced to end the additional incentives that existed for the use of POME. The concerns, however, have not gone away. There is still POME from the Far East entering Irish and European markets. The issue is that it is certified as a waste product outside of the EU, where it is impossible to verify, so there…

I thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward this motion. I admit I am uncomfortable with the element of it concerning the carbon tax from a climate perspective. The Labour Party believes that it is an important tax and that the polluter-pays principle is an important one in terms of our response to the climate crisis. I completely accept that there are people in homes who may have no other option right now than to remain on oil and gas heating but carve-outs in the carbon tax system that would protect the most financial…

My question relates to proposals under the recent trade agreement between the EU and the Trump Administration. The ridiculous tariffs got the headlines, but under this agreement the EU has further bent the knee to "king" Trump and agreed to massively increase the level of fossil fuels being purchased from the United States - €750 billion worth. There have also been reports of US officials, including its energy secretary, Chris Wright, engaging in extensive lobbying with EU member states on this matter, seeking the …

The Minister of State will be aware of our concerns on this side of the House with the Government's plans to overturn the previous Government's ban on the importation of fracked gas to facilitate the State-led strategic LNG reserve. I am sure the Minister of State is aware of the implications this will have for Shannon LNG and other commercial operators. It is opening the door, inadvertently or otherwise, to massive commercial importation of fracked gas. The Minister of State can make all the claims he wants about …

I accept and understand the energy security concerns here. However, the point I am making is that overturning this ban on the importation of fracked gas has opened the door not just to a State-led facility but to commercial exploitation and importation of fracked gas, using the same rules that the State is using to allow it. That is the problem. While the State facility may not be the most damaging way of going about things, it seems the commercial importation of fracked gas will now happen and An Coimisiún Pleanál…

What about the climate?

Before I begin, I acknowledge the presence of Mr. David Ryan in the Public Gallery. Mr. Ryan and his brother Mark participated in an RTÉ radio documentary, which precipitated all of what we are speaking about today. The establishment of this commission of investigation is welcome. It is not before time. The scourge of child sexual violence in our schools and the abject failure of authority figures and institutions to protect defenceless young people from this life-changing abuse is something that Irish society need…

Yesterday, Uisce Éireann announced that areas in 12 counties, from Donegal to Wexford, are officially suffering a water drought. This is at a time when we have seen tragic flash floods in Texas, wildfires outside Marseilles and an extended heatwave in many countries across Europe that is about to hit Ireland. Before I came in here, I got an alert on my phone from Met Éireann that it has issued a hot weather warning. Do not get me wrong, the bit of sun is great, but we need to recognise that this is not normal for I…

I am glad to hear about the Government's focus on accelerating what we are doing. However, the fact remains that we are not meeting our climate targets. While there was a 6% reduction in emissions in 2023, there was only a 2% reduction in 2024. The EPA is saying we are going backwards. This is because we are seeing significantly slower progress than needed on many fronts, like onshore wind, offshore wind, electric vehicles, district heating and the use of biomethane, not to mention the impact of the new LNG fossil …

I am conscious we are discussing domestic, sexual and gender-based violence on the day we learned George Gibney will be extradited from Florida to Ireland to face 79 charges of sexual offences against children. Gibney was a high-profile Irish Olympic swimming team coach in the eighties and nineties who abused his position of power and trust. He was previously charged with, but not tried for, numerous sexual offences. Fortunately, our legal norms and laws have changed since the nineties and it is now possible to pro…