Now.

Now.

Before I came into the House, I had the misfortune to listen to the Joe Duffy show. It is not something I do very often. Comments were made about the Irish Women's Parliamentary Caucus. As long as the caucus excludes parliamentary and secretarial assistants and all the other women who work in these Houses, it is exclusionary and, therefore, I will not participate in it. Monday was the anniversary of the Stardust fire 41 years ago. There was a large gathering of relatives who met to commemorate their dead loved ones…

A minority of countries enforce it.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. Before giving my substantive contribution, I must address some of the commentary here today. I accept that people have differences of opinion on how to tackle climate change but I will not accept people dismissing the fact that others have done their research on this. I have worked in the area of environmental issues and climate change for years and my research on the carbon tax, which is backed up by a meta-analysis carried out in 2021 and empirical ex post evidence from January and Fe…

The first issue I would like to raise is a request for the Leader to schedule time for the Amnesty International report on apartheid in Israel. The findings of this report will come as no surprise to those of us who have visited the country. The Seanad should be afforded the time to debate the findings of that report. The main issue I wish to raise is related to the cost of living. Something we often lose sight of is the cost borne by schools, which are also feeling the pinch through the rising cost of electricity.…

Senator Mullen is making an allegation.

I do not want to take up time. We have seen a filibuster here before us and we know exactly what is playing out in the Chamber. I wish to welcome those from Together for Safety who are present and have done an enormous amount of work in getting this Bill as far as they have. I ask the Minister to share the legal advice he referred to, which he said in October he had and about which he spoke again today. The people who drafted this Bill are legal people. They ask that he share this advice. They are prepared to work …

The issue I raise is the lack of an energy poverty strategy given that the previous one lapsed in 2019. We also still do not have a review of the previous strategy's implementation, as promised to us last year, to determine whether it actually did anything. We do not have the review of the implementation and we do not have a new energy poverty strategy. I am calling on the Government, yet again, to expedite the strategy as a matter of urgency. I ask the Minister of State for an update on it. I welcome the renewed c…

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I welcome that the review of the implementation report will be due in the first quarter of 2022. However, the last time we had this conversation the Minister of State promised it would be produced in 2021. I will have to submit another Commencement matter in March if it is not published by then. The Minister of State said that the ESRI had been tasked with looking at data and metrics. Is that in addition to the CSO indicators that we were promised by the Department of…

We all woke up to the news of a depressing daft.ie report this morning. It shows that rents throughout the State are continuing to increase and renters faced a 10% increase over 2021. In some areas, rents are soaring by more than 20%. Before Ministers rush to tell people to shop around, they should know the daft.ie report confirms what ordinary people already know, that is, that there is little to no affordable rental accommodation in most places, while the average rent now stands at €1,524. While the focus this we…

I want to raise the cost of living crisis we have and the comments that were made by the Minister of State, Deputy Fleming, on yesterday’s “Drivetime”. The Minister of State told people to stop complaining and to do some work for themselves by shopping around to find value in energy, gas and insurance. Someone in receipt of a salary in excess of €100,000 telling people to shop around rightly caused outrage among listeners. I welcome that the Minister of State apologised for those comments because they showed just h…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I echo what previous speakers have said in welcoming the aspects of the Bill that relate to a ban on fur farming. It is a barbaric practice and it is about time we, as legislators, caught up with where the public has been for a long time.

Sinn Féin, as a party, has opposed the farming of mink since our 2007 Ard-Fheis. I am pleased that, through this legislation, we are moving with the tide against fur farming, which is already banned in other countries, including Austria, Croatia, the Netherlands, Britain and the Czech Republic. It will also become illegal in Norway from 2025. Others have already pointed out that there are just three active farms in the State that breed and rear mink for the purposes of pelting for the fur industry and each December…

I welcome the comments of the Minister of State on the opening up of the organic scheme. We know Ireland is a complete laggard when it comes to organics. It can only help when more farmers are encouraged to go into organic farming. It links into what I want to raise this morning on the biodiversity crisis we have in the country and what I believe is a complete lack of respect for protecting habitats and wildlife. In some parts of government there is not just a lack of respect but contempt for our natural environmen…

Hear, hear.

I support Senator Craughwell's proposal to suspend the debate because the contents of the circulated letter are deeply concerning. I am a member of the transport committee and one of the amendments being sought by IALPA relates to licence holders' forums and the right to be heard and be part of the conversation. The very first point made in the letter is that the Minister of State only met representatives of IALPA last night for a half hour. There has not been proper consultation. Many of us, as elected representat…

First and foremost, I commend all those who work in search and rescue on their bravery and their service. As an island nation, the search and rescue helicopters provide essential cover around our coast. Around 800 tasks are carried out every year and the service is responsible for covering a very significant area of ocean. The occupation is a dangerous and selfless one. It is also important we acknowledge the sacrifice of the crew in the R116 disaster, who lost their lives off the coast of County Mayo in 2017, and …

I welcome the opportunity to participate in the debate. I commend Senator Gavan who really drove this issue in the previous session. Through his work and the work of the trade unions, focus was brought to bear on the hospitality sector, particularly those rogue employers who were withholding tips from employees. There is a need for a broader conversation about what needs to happen and how we have arrived at a point where employees are reliant on tips due to low pay and conditions in the hospitality sector. As other…

I wish to begin today like many others by offering my deepest condolences to Ashling Murphy's family, friends and partner. As a woman, every time we hear another woman has been murdered, there is that wrenching feeling of horror and fear and then that is quickly followed by anger. The anger relates to the fact that we continue to live in a misogynistic society. While as a country we have come so far on so many issues, the reality is that we still have a long way to go to break the silence of violence against women.…