I am grateful to address this long-awaited legislation today. The prolonged delay has been very disconcerting, particularly against the backdrop of our persistent cost-of-living crisis. As other Senators said, energy prices in Ireland rank among the highest in Europe, with households facing an average bill of more than €2,000 annually, and little respite in sight. Shockingly, one in three Irish people grapple with energy poverty, a situation that is astounding in a thriving economy. In 2023, the Society of St. Vinc…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit.  I wish to raise the issue of islanded data centres, which rely primarily on on-site fossil fuel generation and direct gas connections. This is a growing concern in our efforts to combat carbon emissions and keep within our carbon budget. From the time that the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, precluded many new data centre projects from signing up to the electricity network, Gas Networks Ireland, GNI, started seeing increased requests for data centre connections to th…

I thank the Minister of State for the response. I note it states that GNI has since paused new connection agreements with gas-fired data centres. The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action has a letter from Gas Networks Ireland confirming that there are 13 data centres that either have been connected in the last year or are awaiting connection to the gas grid, and that GNI believes it is legally obliged to connect those data centres to the grid. Does this mean the pausing of any new contracts …

I again raise the situation in Israel and Palestine. I start by welcoming the release of four hostages and call for the release of all the hostages taken on 7 October by Hamas. I will focus on the increasingly dire situation in Gaza and once again call for a ceasefire and for Israel to act within international law. The drip feed of aid and the refusal by the Israeli state to allow fuel into the Gaza Strip have catastrophic consequences for the civilian population. We know one third of Gaza's hospitals are closed an…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. What took place on 7 October was horrendous. We were all shocked and horrified to see what played out across social media. There is no justification whatsoever for what happened. We must, however, be honest that it did not happen in a vacuum. I was in Palestine in 2014 following Operation Protective Edge, when Gaza was bombarded and carpet-bombed by the Israel Defense Forces. There I witnessed, with my own eyes, humanitarian aid being blocked from going into Gaza. I witnessed trau…

It is interesting that we are talking about another area where women are not treated equally in this society. I have just come from a briefing with the Gaelic Players Association on how female players are not being treated on parity, and here we are talking about another issue where we are not treated on parity. As others have said, the experiences of menopause are incredibly diverse from one woman to another. It is a pervasive challenge that many women face. I welcome the discussion and thank Senator O'Reilly for …

Having been in the European Parliament, I know that trade rules are often cited as reasons for not doing things. However, there are mechanisms for governments to place restrictions on items. Other member states have done this. It can be done on the grounds of public health or environmental grounds, and I am sure international law is another ground. I think there is scope. There are ways around this if people who are brighter than me put their heads together. Other member states have certainly imposed restrictions i…

I welcome Senator Clonan tabling the motion on this very important issue. Sinn Féin believes the measure of any society is how we treat our most vulnerable. We believe in a fundamental baseline of services and supports provided to all, and in services and supports that actively promote a more just, equitable and inclusive society. We can all agree this is not the Ireland in which many people with disabilities live today. More than 100,000 disabled citizens live below the poverty line. Almost 10,000 children with di…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. I want to set the context of the nature of this Bill. I will speak to section 1. Yesterday was World Animal Day. Unfortunately, in the past 48 hours we have seen two very damning reports regarding the situation relating to dog rescue centres and pounds. MADRA Dog Rescue did a census of dogs, the first that has ever been compiled, and found that there are 3,227 homeless dogs at the moment, with hundreds more on lists waiting to be surrendered. The Irish Society for the Prevention of Crue…

Fáilte to our distinguished guests. Today is World Animal Day. Unfortunately, it is nothing for Ireland to boast about when it comes to dog welfare. During the summer, there was the very quiet release of the control of dogs statistics, which showed a 95% increase in stray dogs entering pounds. It would not come as a surprise to anybody who listened any of the times I raised this issue in the House and flagged that we were facing a tsunami of unwanted dogs post-Covid. Some 8,116 dogs entered pounds in 2022, compared…

Sinn Féin believes that education is a basic and fundamental right that should be available to everyone on the basis of full equality. We believe there should be no barrier, such as contribution fees or any other charges, that holds back anybody who wants to access further education. However, lack of planning, funding and resourcing is having a real impact on young people, their education and the future career opportunities available to them. This lack of appropriate planning and investment is resulting in an incre…

Curim fáilte roimh an Aire. Over recent weeks as this scandal has unfolded, everybody has been shocked by it. Like previous speakers, my thoughts are with the children and their families who have been affected by the scandal. Those families need to be assured now that they will get the supports they need. It is too often the case that parents of sick or vulnerable children in this country have to fight tooth and nail for services that are basic human rights, including healthcare and education. They are often forced…

Yesterday, the Irish Independent reported thousands more households had fallen into arrears in their energy bills. Yesterday also saw the announcement of the renewable electricity support scheme, RESS 3, auction results. Not only have they delivered the smallest volume of renewable energy ever, but it is also the most expensive. The average price is now €100.47 per MWh which is way out of kilter with our EU neighbours. We all know the best way to reduce people’s energy costs is to move away from fossil fuels and ge…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. From listening to the debate, it is clear that road safety is something that affects everybody who embarks on a journey every day - those who commute to work, take children to school or just go out for a walk. We know these everyday activities can turn into life-altering tragedies. It is important to remember the loss of life we have seen this year. The reason we are having the statements today is that we are looking at the trends going in the wrong direction. It is not just the l…

From the outset, I would like to make the point that it is good we have the opportunity to debate this motion, and I thank Fianna Fáil for bringing it forward. Just in case there is any confusion in the Chamber or among the general public, Fine Gael has been in government for 12 years. Fianna Fáil has been in coalition with it since June 2020 and before that it propped it up in a supply and confidence arrangement. Effectively, it holds some of the responsibility for the crime we see and the confidence crisis in the…

I second the amendment.

I second the amendment.

I second the amendment.

I second the amendment.

I second the amendment.