As we know, climate change means that flooding is going to be an increasingly frequent issue. The Minister of State has asked us for solutions and I am going to lay out some that are very easily implemented by his Department. It is regrettable that a review of the Arterial Drainage Act did not make it into the programme for Government because as we all know, most of the issues around flooding and how it is managed stem from that Act. We have cut our rivers off from their natural flood plains and until we address an…

I request that the Minister for Transport comes before the Seanad to outline how he intends to tackle the massive driving test backlog. The number of people waiting for a test has increased by 70% since he took over his Department in June. This week, the Road Safety Authority has confirmed that there are now over 90,000 people awaiting a driving test. A quarter of those waiting are in Dublin with Tallaght making up 10% of that with a shocking 9,323 people who are waiting to complete their driving test. This means t…

I welcome the Minister. I add Sinn Féin's voice to this motion to recognise the sacrifices of the soldiers at the siege of Jadotville. September 2021 marks 60 years since one of the most remarkable and some would say miraculous sieges in military history. During what was known as the Congo crisis of 1960 to 1963, a contingent of 155 Irish UN troops, designated A Company, commanded by Commandant Pat Quinlan were sent to the mining town of Jadotville, now known as Likasi, ostensibly to assist in the protection of its…

I welcome the Minister of State and I congratulate her on her appointment. We know and we can all agree that this pandemic has caused huge disruption to the lives of people with disabilities, especially those who avail of day services. Many day service centres were totally shut during the first months of the lockdown and while they are now open, they are, as the Minister of State has admitted, at a much reduced capacity. This is simply unacceptable. Day services are a lifeline for our citizens with disabilities and…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, Senator Hackett. Today, Dogs Trust launched its Sold a Pup campaign, calling for the stringent enforcement of the law on the sale, supply and advertising of pets. It seems that every year as we approach Christmas, it has to fall to charities and welfare organisations to once again remind people to reconsider giving a dog as a Christmas present. While Christmas is the time that there is a stronger focus on the online sale of pets, that is not to say that the problem does not exist …

I thank the Minister of State. We all agree the regulations in place are welcome, but the problem is the lack of enforcement. Perhaps the Department could follow up in writing regarding whether there have been any infringements since the regulations were put in place and what resources have been provided by the Department to ensure compliance. It is important that anybody who is considering purchasing a pet, as opposed to adopting or rescuing one, does his or her homework. Research carried out by Dogs Trust is very…

I urge my colleagues in the House to support the vote this morning on the Sinn Féin amendment to the motion on biodiversity brought forward by the Green Party. I reiterate the point I made yesterday that supporting farmers to farm sustainably and protect nature is not the same as allowing nature to be traded on markets to facilitate emissions. It is a shame that some of my Green Party colleagues did not understand the difference. Maybe they should listen to their colleagues in the Just Transition Greens group. Late…

I move amendment No. 1: To insert the following after the final paragraph: “calls on the Government to recognise the integral role of biodiversity in regulating the climate and ensuring long-term resilience to climate change explicitly in the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2020 and that all policy instruments resulting from that Bill and the Principal Act comply with, and actively support, the implementation of the National Biodiversity Action Plan; recognises: - the need to transition t…

I thank the Green Party Senators for bringing forward the motion. I am delighted to have the opportunity to discuss the biodiversity crisis that was declared by this House last year. As someone who has worked in a national park for years I have a deep connection to biodiversity and am aware of the absolute urgent need to take action to save what is left, and invest in restoring what we can. I commend the Green Party Senators on what is a very comprehensive motion on tackling the biodiversity crisis. I look forward …

On a point of order-----

The Senator does not even understand-----

That is twisting my words.

I wish to raise the same point as Senator Mullen did. I am seeking assurance that we will get to the amendment I have tabled that is in the second group of amendments. If not, then I will speak to it now, seeing as Senator Ward was allowed to veer off into making accusations about people.

The information comes from human rights lawyers.

I will speak to the amendments but I will also defend the Clann Project, which is an admirable initiative, and the human rights lawyers who have been putting out the information about the provisions in this Bill. As a person from a legal background, Senator Ward, you should know that legal opinions differ. How dare you call into dispute other legal opinions and claim that the people voicing them are trying to misrepresent what is being sought to be done in this Bill?

It is important to call the Senator out and to defend the rights of people to email us.

I will make my point through the Chair. Senator Ward said that bodies such as the Clann Project orchestrated a campaign.

He was not brave enough to name the organisation but that is who he is talking about. The Sinn Féin amendments are a final attempt to facilitate the Minister to do the right thing by providing survivors and other individuals affected by this investigation the right to access all the information that pertains to them in the archive. Under the Minister's amendments, the records will remain sealed. The issue is not about sealing them. The issue is that this legislation does nothing to unseal them. The only information…

I am keeping within the amendment.

The survivors of mother and baby homes have been repeatedly treated with contempt by this State and the Minister is asking us to trust that he will fix this at some future date so that there will be access to the documents. Why would survivors trust the State? They have been let down at every single point. In December 2018, the Collaborative Forum on Mother and Baby Homes requested that health and well-being resources be put in place. In April 2019, the former Minister, Katherine Zappone, committed to giving them. …