We do not have a written response for the Senator but we will get that provided for her.

I welcome our MEPs, particularly my new Green Party colleague, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin. We certainly look forward to the continued merging of the parties over time. I want to take up a point raised by Senator Clonan. It is about the wildfires and heatwaves we have had across Europe. A temperature of 400 C in many of our European cities seems to be the new norm and there is a new acceptance that these are the temperatures we are facing. Over 700,000 ha of land has been burned, literally incinerated, across Europe. There i…

I am sharing time with Senator Nessa Cosgrove. I will let my colleague go first.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. I thank the Fianna Fáil Senators for using their Private Members' time to bring forward this important motion. The motion recognises the distance we have come since 2020 under the Minister's predecessor, my colleague Deputy Roderic O'Gorman who did incredible work. We want to see that same trajectory continue. I recognise the comments made by my colleague here. We have gone some distance towards affordability, professional development and retention of staff but, as the Minister knows, s…

Before I invite Senator Stephenson back in, I welcome members of the Young Entrepreneurs Club to the Gallery. They are guests of the Minister, Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill. Cuirim fáilte romhaibh go léir. We have a note here about no homework, but I want to allow that voucher to be carried forward to September, if that is okay, because it will still be relevant then.

I also welcome guests of the Tánaiste, Deputy Simon Harris, from County Wicklow. They are all very welcome. I congratulate them on their recent Tailteann Cup success.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. We might get copies of the Minister of State's response. That would be useful for Senators.

Mayo for Sam.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. I again commend Senator Black, who has been campaigning on this issue for a very long time. It is disappointing that we are here this evening without services included despite the very detailed recommendations of the Oireachtas joint committee, the views of many legal experts and the clear legal opinion of the ICJ from July 2024. In that decision, if we recall, the ICJ held that all states were under an obligation "to abstain from entering into economic or trade dealings ... and to take…

I wish to raise a number of issues, the first being that of 28-year-old Kilkenny native Emily Felix, who was diagnosed with Friedreich's ataxia at the age of 12. The National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics has determined that Skyclarys, a drug which could be life-changing for her and the other 200 sufferers of this disease, not be recommended for consideration for reimbursement by the HSE. Again, I ask for reconsideration on that and I call on the Minister to make a statement on it because of the extremely debilitati…

I join with my colleagues in our outright condemnation of this approach by the Government in relation to this legislation. The Government is going to be the lead negotiator on behalf of the European Union at both the climate Conference of the Parties, COP, and the biodiversity COP later this year. We have zero credibility in asking other member states to step up or in trying to show leadership from a European perspective when we are disapplying our climate Act every time we want to, be it the Critical Infrastructur…

Tá an chéad ábhar eile in ainm an tSeanadóra Cosgrove. Ní mór dúinn fanacht leis an Aire Stáit.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Christopher O'Sullivan.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit.

I welcome Deputy Ivana Bacik and her guests to the Public Gallery. I hope they enjoy their stay.

A narrative has emerged that those who want checks and balances on climate, environment and nature have some sort of a degrowth agenda. Certainly that could not be further from the truth. Section 7 of this Bill represents a fundamental attack on the provision of the climate action Act that was passed in the Dáil in 2021 with the support of 129 Members of the Dáil at that time. Five years later, the Critical Infrastructure Bill means that any proposal that is designated as critical infrastructure will no longer have…

The Minister cannot unpick the climate Act.

Hear, hear. Well said.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire and I thank Senator Boyhan for tabling this motion. I want to mention some women farmers in Ireland. One of the most notable, and formerly of this House, and a former ministerial colleague of the Minister in his Department and former Minister of State, is Pippa Hackett.