I move: "That Second Stage be taken now."

Go raibh maith agat. I move: “That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am delighted to address the House for the Second Reading of the Bill. The Bill is important in that it provides for the use of petroleum product levy funds, also known as the National Oil Reserves Agency, NORA, levy, collected on the consumption of oil products, to be used to fund the climate action fund. This fund will support a range of climate action projects which will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and be of benefit in terms of employme…

I will try to give a quick summary of some of the points that have been raised. The comments of Deputy Connolly in particular are most welcome. I wholeheartedly agree with her. This fund will be driven largely by communities, it is very much open-ended and it will range from small community grants of €5,000 up to large-scale projects. That is what is innovative and unique about this approach. We certainly do not want the narrative that it is anti-rural or that there is an urban-rural divide. I disagree wholehearted…

I thank Deputies Harkin and Fitzmaurice for their good wishes and for bringing this matter to my attention. I can give a response from the perspective of my Department and the agency within my remit, which is the National Parks and Wildlife Service. As Deputy Fitzmaurice noted, however, there are several agencies involved. The legislation underpinning the protection and conservation of nature includes the Wildlife Acts 1976 to 2018 and the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011. Natural …

The commitments in the programme for Government demonstrate that the Government will be active in protecting our natural heritage and responding to the biodiversity emergency and drivers of loss. Investing in the restoration of ecosystems will have multiple additional benefits, including water regulation and purification and carbon sequestration. Sustainable land use management must be a key component of our work. The NPWS and the Department will continue to lead on this work. I am aware of the great concern locall…

I thank Deputies for their good wishes to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and me. As somebody from a large family who grew up in Army married quarters and subsequently in local authority housing, I really appreciate the start my family and I were given in life by being able to access affordable housing. It is an issue I certainly will take seriously. The Government is keenly aware of the housing affordability challenges facing people across Ireland. It is only by taking measures all aspects of our housing system, inc…

Beidh am ag an Aire agus cúig nóiméad leis na ceisteanna. I will give the Minister plenty of time to answer. It is important that schools are to fully reopen. This question has been answered. The impact on children's development is incalculable and palpable, especially for those who do not respond to remote learning and for children with additional needs and disabilities. Through late starter advantage, we can learn how other countries that are weeks ahead of us in easing restrictions are meeting social distancing …

I acknowledge the work of the Minister, his Department, the HSE, NPHET and all the front-line workers who have brought us to this happy day. It is wonderful to be able to talk about things such as hairdressing and dancing. That is very encouraging compared to where we were some months ago. At the outset, I acknowledge the work of Women's Aid, the National Women's Council of Ireland, NWCI, the rape crisis centres and women refuges. While vastly under-resourced, they are working to deal with the fallout from Covid-19…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach agus leis an Aire Oideachais agus Scileanna. I will try to give the Minister plenty of time to respond. I want to pay tribute to his work. All the Departments are learning on their feet here and it is important to acknowledge the work that is being done. It is also important to outline the origins of the July provision for the House. In 1993, Marie O’Donoghue, the mother of Paul from Cork, challenged the Irish State and the Department of Education on the right of her son to a…

Thankfully, the trend is going in the right direction but we must be mindful that, as of yesterday, 1,659 people have lost their lives to Covid-19 in this country. Behind that statistic are many broken hearts and bereaved families. Once again I wish to put on record our appreciation of the work of the Minister and the Department and the work of all who continue to serve on the front line of the pandemic and its wider impact on our health services. I support the comments the Minister made yesterday regarding the dem…

I will try to leave the Minister plenty of time to reply. I thank him and his Department for their vital work and the support they have provided to rural and urban communities in recent months. As we watched the pandemic sweep across the world, it was telling that Ireland had something unique in its toolkit: the innate sense of community knitted within the fabric of our land. It has stood us well. The challenge of staying together while forced to be apart was and continues to be met with defiance, determination and…

It is eight minutes now.

I thank the Minister for his work. I highlight the issue of section 39 service providers to disability and intellectual disability service users. It is commendable how they have adapted so quickly to the changed set of circumstances and how they have managed to keep Covid-19 infection at bay but they are now facing a dual challenge of the cost incurred due to risk of infection coupled with a perfect storm of underfunding and a 1% efficiency cut imposed by the HSE. It is simply not feasible for section 39 providers …

This is national biodiversity week and the Minister will agree that the pandemic has slowed our pace of life, narrowed our scope of travel and silenced much of the noise around us. It has done so to a point where awareness of the living world around us has never been more acute. It is not just the big stuff, but insects, flowering plants and what is in rockpools. Incidentally, on entering Leinster House last week, I found a popular hawk moth on the ground and picked him up and put him somewhere safe. It is everywhe…

Mr. Paddy Shaffrey's 1975 book The Irish Town: An Approach to Survival was decades ahead of its time. It was only in recent years that policymakers began to look seriously at the challenges facing Irish market towns and to consider the potential they have as economic engines and drivers of rural hinterlands. What is also evident from Paddy's visionary publication is how much we have lost of our built heritage, the vernacular and unique character of the Irish towns, and how we deliberately and maliciously hollowed t…

I put it to the Minister of State that following the economic crash of 2008-2009 agriculture and tourism were the two sectors that led the recovery of the Irish economy. Unfortunately, with Covid-19, tourism is now taking a sustained hit from which it may never fully recover. We have heard Deputies talk of their own counties, and in my constituency of Kilkenny city our economy is largely based on tourism and festivals. Just last weekend we would have had our roots festival. They need to be supported to survive and …

In response to the point raised by the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, I think that the 7% is achievable across all sectors. It will require much constructive dialogue. It is important that constructive dialogue will lead to a much more climate-resilient future but also to a much more sustainable future for Irish farming. Farming is the anchor of our rural economy. Our family farms not only support our food needs but a wider ripple in rural Ireland, including mechanics, fitters, vets, contractors, co-operatives,…

I am mindful today that, in raising the matter of the health of front-line workers, in my constituency the lives of two healthcare workers in St. Luke's hospital, Kilkenny, were taken this week by this virus. I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to the families, the colleagues and the friends of the people who tragically died. May they rest in peace. Their passing brings into sharp focus the daily risk faced by our healthcare and front-line workers here and across the world. Many have lost their lives tryin…

I join other Deputies in offering condolences to all the bereaved families and giving our full support to front-line workers. I will speak to a couple of other matters that may not have been addressed. As the emergency rolls on and people live the pattern of the new normal, we are aware that despite the creativity and humour engendered by social distancing, this pandemic has the potential to take a toll on our collective psyche, mental health, well-being and resilience. The pressure keg of self-isolation and partia…

Is mór an onóir é feidhmiú mar ionadaí don phobal, do dhaonra Cheatharlach-Cill Chainnigh, agus do dhaonra na tíre mar Bhall den Tríocha-tríú Dáil. Déanaim comhghairdeas le gach duine a bhí tofa agus le gach duine a bhí misniúil go leor chun iad féin a chur in iúl don toghchán. It is a great honour for me to represent my community, the people of Carlow-Kilkenny and indeed the people of this country in the Thirty-third Dáil. I congratulate all those who were elected and all who had the courage to put themselves forw…