I move: Wednesday's business shall be: - Motion re Referral to Select Committee of proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity ( without debate ) - Statements on Climate Action Plan 2023 ( not to exceed 145 minutes ) - Oil Emergency Contingency and Transfer of Renewable Transport Fuels Functions Bill 2023 (Second Stage) ( if not previously concluded, to …

I am happy to update the House on the recent travel disruption at Dublin Airport and contingency planning in place for the coming weeks. We experienced the first snowfall of the year in Dublin last Thursday night. While all surfaces at Dublin Airport were pre-emptively treated through the night and were fully open and operational on Friday and throughout the weekend, unfortunately, passengers were adversely impacted by flight cancellations and delays due to the conditions overall at the time. The role of the Dublin…

I have listened carefully to the issues the Senators have raised and I assure them of ongoing communication with the DAA and weekly meetings on this. We are all on the same page in ensuring passengers make their flights on time and that we can move our passengers safely through the airport, especially over this festive period. I assure the Senators that is my priority. It is worth recalling why and how the disruption occurred over the weekend at Dublin Airport. Following the cold weather across the weekend, tempera…

I move: That Dáil Éireann approves, under Article 29.5.2° of the Constitution, the terms of the Comprehensive Agreement in the field of Air Transport between the Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of the one part, and the European Union and its Member States, of the other part, a copy of which was laid before Dáil Éireann on 7th November, 2022.

This group of amendments relates to the annexes to the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation. The Chicago convention established the International Civil Aviation Organization, ICAO, and the rules of air space, aircraft registration and safety, security and sustainability. Annex 12 of the convention relates to the establishment, maintenance and operation of search and rescue services by ICAO contracting states, while annex 16 concerns environmental protection measures undertaken by ICAO contracting stat…

Amendment Nos. 3 and 4 related to the process of the vesting of AirNav Ireland. Amendment No. 3 amends section 14 to clarify that the functions conferred on AirNav Ireland by this Bill, which are currently functions of the IAA, will transfer to AirNav Ireland on the vesting day of AirNav Ireland and not on the commencement of the Bill. Amendment No. 4 amends section 19 of the Bill to delete subsections 2, 3 and 4, which replicate subsections 2, 3 and 4 of section 19 of the Irish Aviation Authority Act 1993. These p…

This group of amendments relates to provisions in the Bill concerning accounts and audit. They were developed in consultation with the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General. Amendments Nos. 5 to 7, inclusive, to section 29 reflect the changes that have occurred in financial terminology since the enactment of the Irish Aviation Authority Act 1993. The amendments remove references to "balance sheets" and a "profit and loss account" as these terms have been replaced with "statements of financial position" and …

This group relates to changes to Schedules 1 and 3 of the Bill. Section 41 of the Bill provides that the proposed AirNav Ireland may charge for the functions performed by it pursuant to the 21 EU regulations listed in Schedule 1. Amendment No. 8 provides that the Minister may, by order, add or delete from the list of EU regulations in Schedule 1. This amendment means that our legislation can respond to changes at a European level as they may apply to AirNav Ireland over time. Amendments Nos. 19 and 20 update the re…

Amendment No. 10, which amends section 65 of the Bill, requires the IAA to consult with its shareholders in the preparation of its statement of strategy. The amendment replaces "may consult with stakeholders" with "shall consult with stakeholders". This amendment ensures that the importance of stakeholder engagement continues to be a key consideration for the IAA in the development of its statement of strategy.

Section 32 of the Irish Aviation Authority Act 1993 places a statutory requirement on the Minister to carry out an audit on the technical and safety functions of the IAA. As originally drafted and initiated in this House, the Bill increased the reporting time from three years to five years. This increase was informed by the fact that, when the 1993 Act was enacted, the IAA was not subject to significant oversight and audit by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, EASA. That agency was established in 2002, some…

Amendment No. 16 provides for the convening by the IAA of an aviation stakeholders forum. The purpose of the forum will be to promote the sharing of best practice aviation safety initiatives, to engage with the IAA on matters relating to the regulation of aviation safety, to elicit views on proposals for EU or national regulatory changes with regard to aviation safety and to enable the sharing of aviation lessons learned, best aviation practices and aviation safety performance indicators and the provision of inform…

Amendment No. 17 addresses the issue of crew peer support programmes. The amendment requires the IAA to undertake a review of the effectiveness of crew peer support programmes within 12 months of the commencement of the Bill. It specifies the issues that the review must consider, which include the promotion of the use of a programme and trust in it, the independence of peers from management or supervisory functions and the selection and training of peers. It also specifies that, in conducting the review, the IAA mu…

I thank Senator Mullen. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly. He welcomes this opportunity to update the House on this important matter. I would like to thank Senator Mullen for raising the issue. The model of care for the termination of pregnancy service became operational in January 2019 following the enactment and commencement of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018. Termination up to nine weeks' gestation is carried out in the community by…

I thank the Senator. The Government is committed to providing timely access to a high-quality safe termination-of-pregnancy service as close to home or the community as possible. With this in mind, the Department continues to engage with the HSE on the most appropriate model of care for termination-of-pregnancy services and the findings of this review forms part of that deliberative process.

I thank the Senator. I am taking this question on behalf of the Minister for Health. It is important to acknowledge the crucial work housekeeping staff carry out in our health service every day. The job evaluation scheme is an assessment of the responsibilities and tasks undertaken by support staff across the health service. Under the provisions of the Lansdowne Road agreement, it was agreed that this job evaluation process would be conducted in four phases. Phase one commenced in 2017 and examined personnel employ…

I thank the Senator. The Government acknowledges that current inflationary pressures present challenges and are a source of concern for public service workers. In acknowledgement of inflationary pressures and the rising cost of living, a review of the existing public service agreement, Building Momentum, was conducted this summer. This led to parties agreeing to an extension of the terms of Building Momentum by 12 months to 31 December 2023. As such, along with the pay increases due under the original agreement, pu…

I thank the Senator. I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly. I welcome the opportunity to update the House regarding this topic. Senators will be aware that the Department of Health co-ordinates the implementation of the national drugs strategy, Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery, which is a health-led response to drugs and alcohol use. We have identified six strategic priorities for the remaining period up to 2025. These priorities reinforce the health-le…

I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Health, who asked me to thank the Senator for raising the issue and welcomes the opportunity to provide an update to the House on this matter. With regard to the HSE clinic building at Camolin, County Wexford, which is a former health centre that is currently vacant, this is a detached building on its own site that is owned freehold by the HSE. In line with the ongoing Government initiatives in respect of sourcing suitable properties for use in the provision of …

I can ask the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, to come back to the Senator to give him specific clarification as I am taking this question on his behalf. On behalf of the Minister, I again thank the Senator for raising this matter. The Minister understands how vital these developments are for local communities across the country. With regard to the vacant clinic building, as mentioned, the Department of Health and the HSE are committed to supporting the work being done to address the urgent need for properties. At the pr…

I thank Deputies for the opportunity to speak to the House about the increase in toll prices on a number of national roads. I can confirm that the Government is not opposing the motion. However, while the overall objective of the motion is in line with the Government's concern around the increase in the cost of living and its effect on workers, families and businesses, there were some assertions made in the motion which require clarification and will be highlighted in the ministerial speeches this evening. There ar…