The Tánaiste is a proponent of the nature restoration law. I have reservations regarding who will pay for the measures that will inevitably be necessary. I will give two examples. The first relates to agriculture. It is essential to pay farmers properly for their produce if you want them to produce to high environmental standards. I proposed looking at the cost of production and determining the minimum cost of production as part of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill. The Minister for Agriculture, Food and …

What about coastal communities without sewers?

It has been a century since the State was founded.

I respectfully disagree with the previous speaker. It is my belief that the stigma arises from a profound disagreement on when life begins, which is obviously informed by religious communities but not only by them. That disagreement goes a lot further than religious communities. The Bill has three particular provisions. The first is to outlaw engaging in conduct that is likely to obstruct or impede another person from accessing relevant healthcare premises. The second concerns communicating material in a manner tha…

I move amendment No. 18: In page 44, to delete lines 31 and 32. This relates to the requirement on the Garda Commissioner to provide information to the Minister. I respectfully suggest that it tightens up the information that is to be provided to the Minister by the Commissioner. It needs to be tightened up because it is open to abuse, and I say that because it has been abused in the past. I have not been a Deputy for long and I am sure that someone like Deputy Howlin could point to many more abuses than I can, but…

-----as I am sure do Deputy Howlin and-----

Indeed, and we hope that the Clare ladies will be in an All-Ireland final too. Mr. Shatter was able to say that Mr. Wallace had committed, I believe, a road traffic offence at the Five Lamps and was pulled over. This was information he had gleaned from the then Garda Commissioner. Equally worrying, or even more worrying in some respects, the House may recall that, in the lifetime of this Dáil and during Deputy McEntee’s tenure as Minister for Justice, the then Vice President of the European Commission attended a go…

The Deputy has been here a long time and I am sure he has see a lot of abuse. I did not think information should be provided willy-nilly. There is information that should be provided, and that is set out clearly. What the amendment does is remove any other matters that in the Commissioner's opinion should be brought to the Minister's attention. I asked the stand-in Minister for Justice whether he thought the infidelities of a Minister's spouse or partner should be brought to the Minister's attention if it came to t…

I thank the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach. There was no insinuation. There was a direct accusation that the Commissioner told the Minister that Phil Hogan had a mobile phone to his ear, that she brought it to Cabinet and that it helped to end his career at the European Commission. If there is oversight that would prevent it happening in future then show me where it is and I will be happy to consider withdrawing the amendment. That is an abuse. That is political policing. It is policing in a manner that advances the polit…

The Minister brought that information to Cabinet and it came from the Commissioner. Regardless of that, we know that it happened before and we know that it can happen again.

I move Amendment No. 19: In page 55, to delete lines 4 to 14. The Minister will essentially merge An Garda Síochána with what up to now has been considered to be the civilian members of An Garda Síochána and I have no problem with that whatsoever. I have no problem with the majority of the proposals in the Bill but I have a problem with is that it can be done compulsorily, that the Minister can make an order and "every member of the civilian staff of An Garda Síochána, who is a civil servant of the Government, imme…

I am grateful for the Minister's clarification. If the Minister's position on the approval of each of the unions is as she has indicated, I will be happy to withdraw the amendment.

I move amendment No. 20: In page 55, lines 15 and 16, to delete "pursuant to an order under subsection (5) ".

I move amendment No. 87: In page 252, after line 14, to insert the following: " ". This amendment was discussed on Committee Stage. As I alluded to earlier, I was previously a Member of this House from 2011 to 2016. During that time, the European Committee of Social Rights considered a complaint from the European Confederation of Police, EuroCOP, to which the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors, AGSI, is affiliated. It was held that the prohibition on the right to strike of members of An Garda Síochána in…

The Minister said it would not be appropriate. It is an extraordinary proposition for a Minister for Justice to say that it would not be appropriate for Ireland to adhere to its international legal commitments. It is an extraordinary proposition that any Minister of any government of this State would say that it is inappropriate or not appropriate for Ireland to adhere to the international legal order and to the rule of law. I say this because the rule of law is contingent upon states adhering to their commitments,…

There will always be exceptions that states will cling to to justify breaches of international law, just as our near neighbour clings to exceptions, or sought to do so. This is the first time that I am aware of that Ireland has spoken about exceptions. The other is a case that did not arise as recently, which is with regard to not having to justify the DPP's election to send a case to the Special Criminal Court. That is not something that concerns us right now because it is not germane to this Bill whereas this is.…

I join the Ceann Comhairle, the Tánaiste and others in their expressions of condolence to the family of the late Brendan Daly, who represented Clare in this House for a long time and was also a Member of the Upper House. Among his many attributes, he was a man of great charm. Everybody who met him would agree on that, and that he was a man of many attributes. I wish to return to the issue of the hardship caused to families throughout the country by delays in An Bord Pleanála. As the Tánaiste is aware, interest rate…

The Minister spoke earlier of the Government's environmental credentials. In that regard, there has been a lot of discussion about forestry and the solution that it offers to Ireland's environmental problems, in particular in respect of carbon sequestration, etc. However, the figures demonstrate a very different story. To date this year, seven afforestation licences have been approved. There have been 21 approvals under the ash dieback scheme. That is shambolic. This weekend, we are halfway through the year. The lo…

I was not starving this morning. I thank the Regional Group for putting forward-----

My apologies. I thank the Rural Independent Group for putting forward this important motion. There is a lot of talk about cattle culls at the moment. I am sure the Department will say it has no immediate plans for a cattle cull. Regardless of whether it has immediate plans in that regard, it is something that will stay on the agenda. I accept it is probably not part of the agenda of either of the two parties represented by the Minister and the Minister of State, Deputy Heydon, who are present. It is, however, somet…