That is okay because Senator Gavan has put it better than I possibly could. The time of Operation Protective Edge was the first time we really saw the indiscriminate targeting of innocent civilians played out in real time on social media. Following that, in 2014, I had the opportunity to travel to Palestine. What I saw with my own eyes I recognise in the Amnesty International report. I did not get into Gaza, but, as a European delegation, we travelled around Palestine. What we saw is corroborated in the Amnesty Int…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I am sure that at this point the Minister of State is aware of the existence of two separate reports outlining where the OPW has clearly breached wildlife protection laws, in both Emo Court, County Laois and Barryscourt Castle, County Cork, by disturbing bat roosts without the proper derogation licence. Before I get into the details of the Emo Court case in particular, which is a case I have been working on for a number of months now, I must say that the manner in which I have bee…

This is what I received from the Department.

I have the respect to show the Minister of State what I received when I put in a freedom of information request.

I will proceed. However, as I said, the freedom of information request was heavily redacted. We know that the facts are that in 2019, an ecologist report was produced on the works that were requested to be done on Emo Court. The report stated that the works could not go ahead because the mitigation could not ensure the safety of the bat roost. Despite that report, the OPW carried on with the works. I have to hand a photograph that was taken by ecologists in November 2019, which clearly shows that there were bats pr…

I thank the Minister of State for his lengthy response. I disagree with him. This is not specific to Emo Court. Barryscourt Castle is in the same position in that works were carried out there in 2016 but a bat expert was not hired until 2020. With all due respect to the Minister of State, the timelines do not add up. The works in 2019 were not emergency works. At the time the works were applied for, a bat expert said they could not go ahead because the mitigation was insufficient to protect the bats. The OPW then a…

I echo the recommendation that everyone visits the Rediscovery Centre. When I worked in Global Action Plan in Ballymun, I worked closely with Dr. Miller and the Rediscovery Centre. It is an incredible resource. I was going to say I was happy the Minister of State was in the Gallery because of what I was going to speak about today. I will not have the opportunity to speak during the citizens' assembly debate but I would like to raise a number of issues that should feature in the biodiversity citizens' assembly, one …

I move: "That Second Stage be taken today."

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. I welcome the families of the victims of the Stardust fire to the Chamber. I am proud to introduce the Bill but I would prefer that it was not necessary to do so. The purpose of this Bill is to amend the Coroners Act of 1962 to facilitate a transparent process of jury selection similar to the process that relates to criminal court cases. Before I speak directly to the Bill, I would like to set out the context in which I am bringing it t…

I thank the Minister for her very open statement and her reassurances that she will work to achieve what is in the spirit of the Bill. I know the Bill is not perfect, given the nature of the issue and timescale in which it was presented, but at least the Minister is listening to the concerns that have been raised by the families. I know the coroner herself, Dr. Myra Cullinane, has facilitated the broadest scope or interpretation of the law when it comes to the Stardust inquest because she is working in a flawed sys…

Next Tuesday.

I move amendment No. 7: In page 4, line 32, to delete “domestic electricity accounts” and substitute “active domestic electricity accounts”. This amendment is linked to amendment No. 1. It substitutes the words "active domestic electricity accounts" for the words "domestic electricity accounts". This is tied to the proposal in amendment No. 1 to use the information the ESB has on the use of electricity in households. This information, which is given to the Central Statistics Office, CSO, is used to identify which h…

I move amendment No. 8. In page 4, line 36, to delete “domestic electricity accounts” and substitute “active domestic electricity accounts”. I have spoken to this amendment, which is the same as amendment No. 7. It proposes to delete the words "domestic electricity accounts" and substitute the words "active domestic electricity accounts".

I move amendment No. 9: In page 4, between lines 37 and 38, to insert the following: “(e) The Minister shall make provision in the Electricity Costs Emergency Benefit Scheme to identify those who own holiday homes or multiple properties and put in place a mechanism to ensure such individuals do not receive more than one electricity costs emergency benefit payment. (f) The Minister shall make provision in the Electricity Costs Emergency Benefit Scheme to identify those who are renting, to ensure renters receive the …

I move amendment No. 11: In page 5, line 9, to delete “domestic electricity accounts” and substitute “active domestic electricity accounts”.

I move amendment No. 12: In page 5, lines 14 and 15, to delete “domestic electricity accounts” and substitute “active domestic electricity accounts”.

I move amendment No. 13: In page 5, lines 29 and 30, to delete “domestic electricity account” and substitute “active domestic electricity account”.

I move amendment No. 15: In page 7, line 7, to delete “domestic electricity account” and substitute “active domestic electricity account”.

I move amendment No. 21: In page 8, line 38, after “Oireachtas” to insert the following: “excluding those monies which were allocated to budget sub-heads related to the prevention of energy poverty”. Amendments Nos. 4 and 21 are linked in that the budget subheads of the money that would be funding this particular initiative would not be coming from money that has already been allocated to the prevention of energy poverty. That comes on the back of freedom of information, FOI, requests that have already been made. T…

I move amendment No. 24: In page 3, lines 10 and 11, to delete “domestic electricity accounts” and substitute “active domestic electricity accounts”.