I thank the Deputy for raising this issue and providing an opportunity to update the House. The Cork boundary alteration is the most significant of its kind undertaken in the State and represents a major reorganisation of local government in Cork. The main aim of the boundary extension was to allow the potential for further development within a new Cork City Council area, while also incentivising higher density development and reducing the risk of sprawl. The extended city area now includes Ballincollig, Carrigroha…

I hear the Deputy very clearly on that. The Minister is hopeful that the outstanding matters can be resolved between the two authorities in the coming weeks. Therefore, while a review to determine the overall success of the boundary extension may be considered in the future, at this stage of the implementation it would be premature to look at that. It is considered beneficial to wait until both authorities have had time to settle into their new jurisdictions and there is sufficient data to do a review, as outlined.…

As the Senator noted, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Coveney, travelled to China last month to meet with his Chinese counterpart, Minister Wang Yi, on Sunday, 30 May. The meeting took place in the context of Ireland's membership of the UN Security Council and had an extensive agenda covering bilateral relations and EU-China relations, as well as issues on the agenda of the UN Security Council. As a permanent member of the Security Council and as a major partner for both Europe and Ireland at a bilateral l…

It is particularly important that we are aware of, and restate, our membership of the UN Security Council and the importance of that. It is in light of that membership that the engagements take place, which the Minister, Deputy Coveney, has been engaging in. It is through constructive engagement that we find solutions to many of the problems that face us. Senator Mullen seems to be advocating that you should never talk to anyone with whom you disagree. Such opportunities are of equal importance in allowing the fran…

I thank the Senator for raising this matter, which gives me an opportunity to outline the role of the Teaching Council and its current structures and to highlight the role played by the Teaching Council to support teacher supply during Covid-19. The Teaching Council was established in 2006 on a statutory basis through the Teaching Council Acts 2001 to 2015, to promote teaching as a profession; to promote the professional development of teachers; to maintain and improve the quality of teaching in the State; to provi…

I thank the Senator for the views she has outlined, which I will pass on to the Minister for Education. It is an important issue which she raises, and in my constituency office over the years I have been a Deputy, many of the points the Senator has raised about the Teaching Council have also been raised with me. I will make sure the Senator's views are heard by the Minister.

I thank the Senator for raising this matter and I know the road in question very well. I would like to explain that once funding arrangements have been put in place through the Department of Transport under the Roads Act 1993, the planning, design and construction of an individual national road is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, in conjunction with the local authorities. Overall, TII is responsible for the delivery of the national roads programme in accordance with Project Ireland 2040 and the N…

The Senator has made excellent points on this matter in a very strong way, as he always does. I will be delighted to convey to the Minister the Senator's views, and those of the people of Tipperary, on this very important project.

I thank the Senators for raising what they are quite right to say is a very important issue. I acknowledge that they had very limited time in which to make their contributions. I know they would have liked to make more substantial contributions on this but could not do so on foot of the rules governing Commencement matters. The issue of defective concrete blocks, DCBs, is particularly emotive for households and I sympathise fully with all those caught up in this very distressing situation. The goal of the grant sch…

I will be conveying the remarks the Senators have made to the Minister, as well as the feeling of urgency about this situation that Senator Chambers mentioned.

I thank Senator Crowe for raising the matter and I am here to represent the Minister for Defence, Deputy Coveney, who, unfortunately, cannot attend. I acknowledge the service given by current and former members of the Defence Forces who have devoted their time to serving our country and thank them for it. I hope to provide some clarity on the protocols for military funerals and where it is customary for the national flag to be presented to the next of kin of deceased former members of the Defence Forces' personnel.…

I have listened to the Senator's remarks. There is much to consider in what he has said and I will convey his remarks to the Minister, Deputy Coveney. Many military families will be interested in his remarks. As it stands, that is the procedure in place, but I will convey the Senator's remarks and the contents of our exchange to the Minister.

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." This Bill is being brought forward to consolidate in one stand-alone enactment the State's maritime jurisdiction legislation and to update it to reflect recent developments in international law. It is a technical Bill that establishes in domestic law the framework of different maritime zones of national jurisdiction recognised by international law. Within those zones a coastal state is entitled to regulate human activity only to the extent permitted by internationa…

I thank Senator Higgins for her amendments and for engaging with officials yesterday. That was very helpful in terms of our understanding. I also had an opportunity to talk to Senator Higgins about the concerns that have motivated her amendments and can assure her that those concerns are met by the Bill. I am afraid the Government is not in a position to accept amendment No. 1. The amendment would alter the manner in which the reference to the Schedule to the Bill is made in the definition of the convention in sect…

My advice is that the proposed amendment would change the meaning of the definition of an installation by including a vessel used in connection with that installation, regardless of how far from the installation that vessel is located. International law only permits the exercise of jurisdiction over such a vessel if it is in the vicinity of the installation and then only where the jurisdiction is also exercised over the installation itself. Accordingly, I am not in a position to accept this amendment.

Amendment No. 3 would add the word "sitting" to the phrase "within the next 21 days" in which the House sits after the order is laid before the House. However, the section already makes it clear that the 21 days concerned are those on which the House sits. The amendment is therefore unnecessary and I am not in a position to accept it.

I take on board what Senator Ward has said and will try to determine if it is possible to do so.

I echo Senator Chambers's comments in that I very much appreciate the way in which Senator Higgins has engaged on this and the interaction we had yesterday on this amendment. Section 11 provides that any prosecution of a foreign national for an offence committed from a foreign vessel within Ireland's territorial sea requires a certificate from the Minister for Foreign Affairs certifying that the prosecution is appropriate. This is intended to ensure that, in accordance with the Convention on the Law of the Sea, a p…

Section 14 sets out the sovereign rights and jurisdiction of the State in the exclusive economic zone. It faithfully reflects the text of Article 56 of the convention of 1982 to which it is intended to give effect, and I acknowledge that Senator Higgins mentioned this in her contribution. Specifically the section provides that the State has sovereign rights for the purpose of exploring, exploiting, conserving and managing the natural resources of the zoned jurisdiction for the protection and preservation of the mar…

We will check this matter but I believe that section 14 enables legislation to be done for this. Obviously, the convention contains the terms of management, conservation etc. that the Senator mentioned.