Where is there floating wind energy at scale?

Where is that, other than Hywind, which is on the east coast of Scotland?

I wish to raise the issue of the Derrybrien wind farm with the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications. Obviously he is not here and I thank the Minister of State for coming even though it is not in her Department. I appreciate that there are probably a lot of places she would rather be than fulfilling duties outside of her departmental remit. Derrybrien is not directly in the Minister of State's constituency and I know the boundary between Galway East and Galway West changes occasionally but Derry…

I find slightly surprising the conclusion that there are no substantive arguments to be made with regard to the security of domestic supply, given Derrybrien provides, on a good day at least, 1% of the energy needs of the State at a time of energy crisis. I am not suggesting that Ireland should flout EU law; it is very disappointing that it has done so and that it is has dragged its heels for so long. What I am suggesting is that another attempt be made to bring Derrybrien into compliance with European Union law. M…

In almost 100 minutes.

Was Polonius not killed off behind a curtain? The Tánaiste is now a hop, skip and jump away from becoming Taoiseach. Almost every day of the lifetime of this Government, certainty today and yesterday, University Hospital Limerick, UHL, has been the most overcrowded hospital in the country. Of the 676 beds we were told would be required at the time of reconfiguration, more than one third have yet to materialise. As Head of Government, what will the Tánaiste do differently? The current Taoiseach has said it is a matt…

I wish to return to the general principle. It is more than 100 years since this Dáil was established. We will soon be celebrating the anniversary of de Valera's 1937 Constitution, Article 15.2.1° of which states: "The sole and exclusive power of making laws for the State is hereby vested in the Oireachtas: no other legislative authority has power to make laws for the State." This is not a case of the Oireachtas making laws for the State. There are amendments that have not been reached in the Seanad and are not goin…

I am still unclear as to how the decision was made to guillotine the Bill. Did the Minister of State ask the Government Chief Whip to allocate 45 minutes for the debate and say to himself we all can shove it after that? Did his officials suggest this would be a good approach and he went along with it, or did he lead the approach? Did the Chief Whip agree that this wonderful and novel legislation is going to turn us into a shining light of democracy across the Council of Europe area, as the Minister of State just de…

Not on these amendments.

The day Deputy Micheál Martin was elected as Taoiseach, I raised the issue of Shannon Heritage sites with him and the need to take them out of Shannon Group, which does not want them, and give them a new lease of life. I have raised it several times since. The last time, the Taoiseach said Clare County Council just needs to get on with it. I understand the council very much wants to get on with it but the proposal is being bounced around Government Buildings. At the moment, it is between the Department of Public Ex…

Public expenditure. However, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform says it is not. He may have a decision made on the matter.

He might wish to brief us.

We are in the third tourism season since so there needs to be movement.

Our corporation tax rate is questionable given the international agreements on corporation tax. There are a number of reasons our corporation tax is not to be relied on. We have always said we attract people to our country not just because of our corporation tax rate but because of our high knowledge economy and the many highly skilled and trained young people. Yet, PhD students get less than the minimum wage in Ireland. They are not entitled to any of the other benefits low-paid people are entitled to. There is a …

I had not intended to contribute to this debate, but I have found it quite interesting, and in particular, the idea that the Bill is going to be fundamentally changed following the debate today and amendments that we do not have any information on as of yet are going to be introduced. I appreciate the Minister of State's offer to enlighten us as to what will be contained in the amendments in his reply. However, inevitably, his reply will come at the end of Second Stage. Therefore, we will find out at the end of Sec…

The only thing that will stop me coming to the debate on the next Stage is that it will not be in plenary session. It will be held at a meeting of the Joint Oireachtas Committee of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Some of the Minister of State's colleagues are less than forthcoming with giving people time, if they are not members of committees, notwithstanding Standing Orders. I must say that Deputy Matthews is not among them. I appreciate the fact that he does give people time. If the Government is going to…

I do not think I have ever put down a request for statements.

From my limited experience of chairing a committee in this House, I can anticipate where some of those requests come from, perhaps even within the Opposition. However, that does not change the fact that it suits the Government agenda to accede to those requests and not debate any legislation, then ram all the legislation through at the end of term. This Bill could have been debated on Second Stage a lot sooner. Pre-legislative scrutiny was completed. I do not know this for a fact, but I presume that a committee had…

We are debating legislation.

I do not have a problem with the contents of the Bill whatsoever. As I said at the outset, I had not intended to contribute to the debate.