I am always hearing stuff from the Government benches such as “time is more valuable than money” and, in this case, “it is all about supply”. There is no point in supply, however, if people are not able to afford that supply. With this Bill, supply only seems to play in favour of some parts of Dublin. Supply is not going to increase in Limerick, Cork, Kerry, Tipperary or any of the rural areas. Rather, it will hit those rural areas the hardest because they predominately have houses rather than apartments. In County…

The Minister of State is welcome. I want to approach the Bill from the perspective of rural areas and agricultural communities because that is where its consequences will be most keenly felt. Sinn Féin has always been clear, and my colleague Deputy Pa Daly has repeatedly stated, that strong environmental protection and climate action depend on public trust. That trust collapses when decision-making becomes centralised, rushed or opaque. The Bill is presented as technical and procedural but for communities living be…

I move amendment No. 1: To insert the following paragraph under “notes that:” “- the number of Gardaí assigned to Roads Policing / Traffic Corps duties has fallen sharply over recent years;”

I welcome this evening's discussion on road safety. It is a very important issue. It is not just an abstract policy. It is something that touches every family, every parish and every community in this country. Nowhere is that truer than in rural Ireland. For decades, we have made real progress. Since the first road safety strategy was published, the number of fatalities on our roads has fallen steadily, reaching its lowest point in 2021. That progress did not happen by accident. It happened because of sustained inv…

I move amendment No. 2: To insert the following paragraphs under “calls on the Government to:" "- expedite the National Vehicle and Driver File Bill 2025 to ensure that local authorities have expedited access to road collision data; - explore an all-island approach to road safety initiatives; - commit to a clear, time-bound plan to recruit, train and retain additional Garda members specifically for high-visibility road policing, backed by apppropriate resources, vehicles, technology and ongoing professional develop…

I want to highlight an unfairness and double standard that goes on in this country. The head of CIÉ got a bumper pay increase of €35,000, the head of Bus Éireann a bumper pay increase of €50,000, Irish Rail €75,000, the National Stud €60,000 and the head of Uisce Éireann a bumper of €100,000, and we have boil-water notices throughout this country. We have towns and villages where there is not enough infrastructure within the treatment plant to put any more businesses or houses on the scheme. I cannot fathom it. It …

I thank the Minister for attending and for giving of his time to deal with this matter, which relates to the corporate governance responsibility and credibility of Bord Bia, and, in particular, the credibility of Bord Bia if it continues to have Larry Murrin as its chair. For nearly two weeks now, this matter has been allowed to drift. With every single day that passes, the credibility of Bord Bia, and in turn the credibility of Irish produce, is at risk. Ireland’s reputation internationally is being put at risk wh…

Not for one minute am I saying Bord Bia is not a fantastic company. I have said this from the start. We need Bord Bia. However, it is the farmers who make Bord Bia look good as well because-----

It is a partnership, yes. The farmers must have faith and trust in it. Farmers see the chair of Bord Bia import from Brazil, which has been in the news recently with the callbacks and the recalls because we cannot trust it. We have seen this with Mercosur. We cannot trust what comes in from Brazil because it does not have the same controls we have here. The farmers in this country feel like they are being sold out for a cheaper product. It might not be about the price. It is about how they feel. The Minister has to…

I did not sully-----

I want to acknowledge the achievement and work carried out by my two colleagues, MEPs Lynn Boylan and Kathleen Funchion, on getting the Mercosur trade deal referred to the European Court of Justice. I was disappointed that four Irish MEPs voted against that move. As we have spoken about here, Mercosur is not a good deal for Ireland. It is not a good deal for our farmers or for rural Ireland. This is not over. Just because it has been referred to the court, it does not mean it will not go through. The deal could be …

Today is a critical day in the fight against the EU-Mercosur trade agreement, when the European Parliament will vote on whether the deal should be referred to the European Court of Justice. That referral is essential. It is about ensuring that the trade agreement is legally compliant with the European Union's obligations on climate action, sustainability, human rights and the Paris climate agreement. These are not abstract concerns. The Mercosur agreement raises serious questions about deforestation, environmental …

I raise an issue related to the childcare sector and early years educators, specifically jury duty. As the Leader knows, primary and post-primary teachers are exempt from jury duty. However, early years educators are not. As we all know, crèches are fairly tight as regards staff. When a staff member in a crèche setting is called for jury duty, the crèche does not have the luxury of having a panel or substitutes. As a result, it is more than likely that a room will have to be shut down and all the parents will have …

Once again households are being dealt a blow through higher energy costs and once again this Government is choosing to stand back and not step in. We already have some of the highest electricity rates in Europe. Record numbers of people are in arrears and energy poverty is a daily reality for far too many families. Yet, at this critical moment, the Government has withdrawn the electricity credits which was the only meaningful support these families had. It now expects these hard-pressed households to shoulder the c…

I echo the show of appreciation to my colleagues beside me for introducing this important Bill in the House. I am going to focus on the apprenticeship side of this Bill. Apprentices are the backbone of our economy and, in many respects, the backbone of rural Ireland. They are the electricians, plumbers, carpenters and mechanics we depend on to build homes, maintain infrastructure and sustain local communities. Too often, though, they are expected to survive on wages that do not reflect either the value of their wor…

I went to Limerick Prison yesterday with the justice committee. We were given a presentation with some very stark numbers. It costs €97,000 a year to house an inmate in Limerick Prison. Between 4% and 11% of the general population in Ireland has a personality disorder. For inmates in prison, that figure is 60% to 70%. There is a trend there. The female prisoners in Limerick Prison have said they feel safer going into Limerick Prison because they come from domestic abuse and coercion in their homes. They actually fe…

I welcome the Minister. This legislation has been a long time coming, and while we stand here and speak about it this evening, there are families across the west and north west who are still living in houses that are cracking and crumbling and, in some cases, genuinely unsafe to live in. I have sat in kitchens in west Limerick, Askeaton and Abbeyfeale and listened to families tell me the same stories as my colleagues in counties Donegal, Sligo, Clare and Mayo. They have heard of people who did nothing wrong but who…

I raise an issue I have raised a couple of times here previously. I cannot even count the amount of calls I had on the matter over the weekend. I am standing here on behalf of hundreds of families in County Limerick who have voiced their disgust and anger at the Government's decision to vote down the Bill on wind farms last week. As the House will know, I have raised multiple times the fact that County Limerick has three proposed wind farms about to go up. New guidelines were drafted for this in 2016. That is ten y…

I welcome the Minister of State. I echo the appreciation for Senators Rabbitte and Paul Daly for bringing this important Bill to the floor of the Seanad. Like others, I have stood here over the past couple of moths and complained about flooding in areas that do not usually flood. I have spoken about Dromcolliher, Newcastle West and Abbeyfeale in County Limerick flooding in the middle of the summer. I know that the Shannon lakes seem very distant from those communities, but the truth is that water management is inte…

When we talk about a united Ireland, people often imagine big constitutional debates and the big questions, but every fabric of our society is affected by constitutional change. If planned and prepared for, we can tackle it for the best outcome. An example of this can be seen today with farmers across the island who are looking at their herd wondering what is going to happen tomorrow. For farmers North and South, this week has brought real fear. Bluetongue, a disease spread by midges, was first confirmed in two cat…