Pippa Hackett is back farming and heading up an European Innovation Partnership, EIP, programme. She is a fantastic woman ambassador for women in farming more generally and I want to acknowledge her work. I think of the work of Hannah Quinn-Mulligan, who is a fantastic advocate for women farmers. In my own constituency, there are Gail and Bryan Daniels in County Kilkenny who have a derogation farm - an intensive dairy farm - but do amazing work for water quality, biodiversity and climate. The Minister might have me…

I join others in extending my sympathy to the family of Yves Sakila and to the Congolese community in Ireland. The capture of the global flotilla by the Israel Defense Forces, IDF, represents a violation of international treaties. I join others in this House in calling on Government to more. The sister of Uachtarán na hÉireann is one of those who has been caught up in this incident. All the while, the Israeli Administration continues to murder children and continues to allow settler violence to perpetrate throughou…

It is important that Seanadóirí are informed if the line Minister cannot attend.

The Cross-Party Group is not opposed to trade. We believe in and know what free trade has done for Ireland from the Lemass era right to the present day. It has to be as much about fair trade as it is about free trade, however. In a small open economy like Ireland's, this geopolitical reality that we are facing today is particularly alarming. We are opposed to this Bill and the measures in it, and the challenges it is going to present in terms of society, workers' rights and the environment. As has been said, it is …

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Higgins.

I move: “That Seanad Éireann: recognises: - the need for the Government to respond to the ‘Whole of Government, Whole of Society’ approach adopted in the fourth National Biodiversity Action Plan and upcoming National Nature Restoration Plan by ensuring that verifiable and proven measures to maintain healthy wildlife populations are given due support; - the threats and pressures facing wildlife in Ireland due to development, loss of habitat, pollution and road collisions; - the valuable work carried out by wildlife …

I also welcome our Cork Minister of State. Táimid i ngéarchéim bhithéagsúlachta. Tá a fhios againn go bhfuil jab le déanamh againn uile chun cabhrú leis an dúlra agus leis an bhfiadhúlra nuair is féidir linn. Déanann ár n-ionaid tarrthála fiadhúlra ar fud na hÉireann obair iontach ag cabhrú leis an dúlra agus leis an bhfiadhúlra nuair is féidir linn. Wildlife rehabilitators in Ireland play a vital role in biodiversity conservation and public service delivery. Last year, rehabilitation centres admitted approximately…

I thank my Cross-Party Group colleagues. I welcome the Minister of State's response. It behoves all of us, going by what the Cathaoirleach said, to make changes in all our lives to help to minimise our impact on the natural world and become active participants in restoration, because in restoring nature, we are restoring ourselves, our wellbeing, our food security, and our resilience against climate chaos. There remains a deep disconnect between our understanding of what we need to do and our behaviour as consumers…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. The programme for Government, published in January 2025, contains a commitment to provide investment in sorting technology in Ireland's material recovery facility, MRF, network. This is a really positive commitment in the programme for Government, but in the time since the programme's publication, no progress has been made. I hope the Minister of State can update the House on progress on this commitment. The recently published Whole of Government Circular Economy Strategy 2026-202…

I welcome the point the Minister of State made on how the commitment will be met, because it is a programme for Government commitment. I appreciate that, as he stated, the role of the Department and Government is largely in setting policy. However, this is a programme for Government commitment, so it is criticat to give certainty to the sector that this commitment is met and that a timeline is laid out for that. The packaging and packaging waste regulation, PPWR, as I mentioned, was adopted by the European Parliame…

I want to be associated with the comments in relation to our colleague and friend, Senator Eileen Flynn. What she has gone through is appalling. It behoves us all to be there with her and stand with her, and to challenge the social media companies, in particular. I want to reference two specific items. Today is world curlew day. We have seen some positive results in County Monaghan from the head starting programme, which was run by Breeding Waders EIP, led by Mr. Owen Murphy, down on Lough Ree. This is a collaborat…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. I just want to add to the points made by my colleague. The shock that has been reverberating around the world has to be the wake-up call for our agricultural system. It gives us the opportunity to look at changes in models of agriculture in Ireland and in particular to look at regenerative agriculture such as using less chemical fertiliser inputs. Among the farms down in my part of the country is the Daniels' farm that uses a lot less nitrogen-based fertilisers and that is a profitable …

I thank the Minister of State for going off-script and giving such a personalised response.

I again thank the Minister of State for giving such an empathetic response.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, Deputy Moynihan.

I second the amendment.

We spoke here before during the introduction of our vacancy and dereliction Bill, and thankfully, some of the measures - quite a lot of the measures - outlined in our cross-party Bill have been adopted. I welcome the introduction of the grant schemes in the Department for living above the shop. It is something I feel very strongly about as I travel around the country and see the potential and the lights off in so many above-shop premises in our villages, towns and cities. This grant scheme also adds to a suite of m…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. I thank him for his comprehensive answer. I appreciate the conservation advice grants. They are very useful but they are very limited to the conservation element of it. That is why I think the one-stop shop, which involves having the interdisciplinary skills within the local authorities, is a really progressive approach. I again ask the Minister of State's Department to perhaps give it consideration. This is about heritage-led regeneration and I know the Department is now workin…

Sure.

This is a very experienced Government with many years of governance under its belt, yet it has displayed unprecedented levels of incompetence and disregard for our international obligations. It is setting future generations up for an unsafe future through rowing back on action on climate, nature and water. We have been consistently told the carbon tax was sacrosanct. We will face a hell of a battle when the deferred increase has to be got over the line in October. How will the Government fund the warmer homes schem…