Over the last number of years, there have been improvements in the area of animal welfare but we still have a very long way to go in this country. This week alone, anybody who was listening to the radio would have been horrified by the stories of animal abuse and torture. Ireland still holds the reputation of being the puppy farm capital of Europe. Many of the animal welfare issues we have in this country could be easily addressed if the political will was there. Take, for example, the online sale of pets. The regu…

Housing costs in the State are the most expensive anywhere in the EU. According to the latest figures from EUROSTAT, we are at the top of the housing cost table. It is no wonder people are crying out for more affordable homes. We are in this mess because of the failed policies of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael that have created the housing crisis and yet the Minister and the Government expect us to believe that the people who caused the crisis are somehow the same people we should entrust to fix it. It is clear from the…

We are all aware of the difficulties that are faced by people who are addicted to gambling. We all know that every day gambling can and has ruined lives. Gambling charities have called for stronger regulation and legislation for years. In 2017, I held a high-level conference in Dublin that included international academics to speak on the issue of how gambling and gambling advertisements have an impact on children. The Government has promised to bring legislation to include imposing spending limits on customers, hav…

I encourage Senator Garvey to hang on because I have some comments about the PSO levy as well as on something the Government could do to bring down the cost of energy. This is not my first time raising energy poverty in this House. I published a report earlier this year that detailed real lived experiences of people who are living in energy poverty. The latest figures suggest that 2,800 excess deaths a year are due to cold weather. Other people are sacrificing other essential items just to keep the lights on and th…

I thank the Minister of State for that update. I question the figures, however, in respect of how we have identified and reduced the numbers of people experiencing energy poverty. I again draw the Minister of State's attention to the report from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform entitled Spending Review 2020: Social Impact Assessment – SEAI Programmes Targeting Energy Poverty. That report says we do not have the metrics to adequately assess how beneficial the retrofitting programme has been in lifting…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. As others have said, it seeks to reconfigure substantially our aviation and navigation regulation services. Sinn Féin is happy to support it because it is right that the commercial air navigation elements are separated from the regulatory matters of the Irish Aviation Authority. The workers in this sector, especially those in Aer Lingus, have been systematically and continually let down by successive governments. Indeed, Fianna Fáil, the Green Party, Fine Gael and th…

I take it the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan, will not be here to respond to my matter either. This is not my first time questioning the Government and being unable to address the Minister responsible. I again ask about the Government's position regarding the energy charter treaty. I was disappointed by the response I received the last time that Ireland is happy to continue to throw its lot into a reform process that is going nowhere and that fails to address the core pr…

I thank the Minister. I say this with no disrespect to her - I appreciate she came in to read the statement - but it is deeply disappointing that Ireland will continue to push ahead with the reform process that is going nowhere. Japan is not for moving and change requires unanimity. The European Commission's proposals, which are supported by the EU Council, meaning that our Minister would have been part of those proposals, do not address Article 16 of the energy charter treaty, which clearly states that irrespectiv…

My first point is to note the Sinn Féin Seanad team’s disappointment at the manner in which our MEP, Mr. Chris MacManus, was invited to today’s debate on the future of Europe. As someone who was an MEP, I know how difficult it is to manage a calendar that sees one in three different countries every month and it was a disappointment that Mr. MacManus was put at a disadvantage to his constituency counterparts by those being contacted earlier. Sinn Féin, therefore, will not participate in today’s debate with the MEPs.…

Sinn Féin will not oppose today's amendment by the Minister to the climate Bill as we too welcome the inclusion of 6A into section 3(3). However, its inclusion does not allay all our concerns about the Seanad amendments that were adopted in the Dáil on Wednesday night. I continue to share the concerns of Professor John Sweeney that their inclusion undermines the scientific basis of the Bill and potentially leaves this Government and future governments hostage to lobbyists and interest groups rather than following b…

That is on the record. We have the letter from the Minister himself. It is a shame that many progressive amendments-----

Okay. I will correct the record.

We were asked to give the Bill two weeks' pre-legislative scrutiny so it would pass before Christmas.

I am used to being interrupted, a Chathaoirligh, whenever Sinn Féin members speak. It is a shame that many progressive amendments-----

I am not the one who started with the petty political arguments. As I was saying, it is a shame that many progressive amendments put forward by those of us who want to take good climate action were rejected. The collaborative approach ceased after the committee's discussions. It stopped there and that is regrettable because the only way to achieve proper climate action is to bring everybody along on the journey and to work collaboratively. Whether one likes it, those are the facts. We are not going to leave the pit…

The British Government announcement yesterday that it would introduce legislation to cover up the role in the conflict in the North, in the form of a statute of limitations, has united opinion in this country in an unprecedented manner. The Irish Government, Sinn Féin, the SDLP, the Alliance Party and the Unionist Party have all called on the British Government not to proceed with this unilateral and self-serving action. The main relatives' organisations, Relatives for Justice and Wave Trauma Centre, who campaign f…

I welcome the Minister. I will begin by extending my best wishes to Vicky Phelan. We all know she is in a battle and we wish her the very best. I also extend my solidarity to all of the women affected, as I am sure the Minister and all Senators here do. It is our job to make sure we do right by them and that we stand by them and their families. I take this opportunity to encourage women to continue to go for their cervical smear tests and those eligible to get their HPV vaccination. Sinn Féin will support this tech…

I am not usually up so quickly.

It is no problem. I thank the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach. Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I welcome this Bill and its introduction of a three-year cap on the assessment of transferred assets to protect the viability of family farms and businesses. I also welcome the fact that a successor will be appointed to assets and that rigorous safeguards will be put in place to ensure this is done for the purposes of running a family farm or business. Section 5 sets out how the HSE will determine eligibility for the cap to ap…

I would like to raise the ongoing lack of clarity regarding the Government's position on the importation of fracked gas. We were told the programme for Government contained a commitment to a ban. When Sinn Féin brought forward an amendment to a Private Members' motion we were told the reason it could not be supported was that legislation was currently being worked on. Then, during pre-legislative scrutiny of the climate Bill we were told its inclusion would delay the Bill. Then, in a public meeting when the Ministe…