I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time". I am sharing time with Senator Black.

I thank the Minister of State for coming in. Of course, I am disappointed that it is not the direct line Minister, given the importance of this legislation. The Bill is a response to the ongoing evidence that weapons are routinely transiting through Ireland. I understand that the Government is opposing this Bill on the basis of some very minor arguments. We have a ten-Stage legislative process in Ireland for the purpose of amending legislation. This Bill was drafted by the Office of Parliamentary Legal Advisers, OP…

The Minister of State who was here before Deputy Buttimer said that it was too expensive to do this and to enforce our own rules. I believe he also used the term "onerous", which is extraordinary language to use when we are talking about enforcing our own rules. All we are asking for is an inspection regime. There seems to be some sort of vast misunderstanding on the other side of the House as to what the Bill actually does. People kept talking about military flights. This Bill actually does not deal with military …

I thank the Minister. We appreciate when the correct line Minister comes to the Chamber to take our Commencement matters. It is noted and we are very grateful. The closure of Carlow College marks the loss of one of Ireland's oldest and most significant educational institutions. Founded in 1782, it has been part of the social, educational and cultural fabric of Carlow for generations. The Department's press release about the structure transition framed it as positive news but that simply does not reflect the reality…

I thank the Minister and I take from his contribution that college management was included in the pathway and roadmap the entire time. The question is whether union representatives were included only recently or were they there throughout the discussions. Staff have been told there will not be pathways for them through SETU and its Carlow campus will not be offering the humanity and arts courses which Carlow College has. They are being told it is redundancy only and there are not suitable pathways for them. I also …

I second the amendment.

Are these amendments grouped?

I will speak to amendment No. 5 around international agreements, conventions and treaties, the Paris Agreement, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Aarhus Convention, etc. This amendment is born out of the regulatory concerns we spoke about before, particularly in the context of regulatory chill and the impact this could have on environmental legislation. Under the Energy Charter Treaty, ECT, we saw companies sue EU member states for millions of euro when they tried to move away from fossil fuels. For …

I second the amendment.

I welcome this amendment to add really detailed clarity on the way those decisions will be made. We outlined a few of the concerns we have last week to the Minister of State, but it feels like the Bill is attempting to get around the protections afforded by the Constitution through this amendment Bill so that our national courts have a role in enforcing successful investor claims against Ireland in Ireland for specified agreements. However, this feels highly unlikely in the event that an investor who has chosen to …

It is totally disingenuous of the Minister of State to box us all in as the Opposition and to say we are against trade. We are talking about investor courts in this legislation. We are talking about the Arbitration Act and what this Bill will mean for investor courts, with companies being able to sue Ireland for public policy decisions. The Minister of State disagrees with me and I fundamentally disagree with him, but the idea that we are not pro-EU because we have an issue with this, when other EU countries - big …

I will be brief. We fundamentally support CETA and the trade elements of the Bill, that is, the 99% of the agreement which, as the Minister of State is aware, is already in place. He has said in committee and multiple times on the floor that there is no rush to do this because those bits are in place. We do not need this arbitration clause. CETA could be renegotiated. That is the point I am making. Of course, we are pro-trade and support that, but not when it is at odds with our sovereignty or national courts.

On that point, I go back to that piece around the cost of public policy and the chilling regulatory effect on nation states and governments, which we have seen evidenced in other cases. I also mentioned previously that the Minister of State acknowledged on Committee Stage in select committee: "If an Irish government were to say it is going to seize all the houses owned by Canadian pension funds at a price of half their value but would not touch any other properties, those funds might have a claim in an arbitration …

The Minister of State used a very extreme example but that is still an example of there being the ability of funds to claim. What Senator Higgins touched upon at length is that idea of fair and equitable treatment and that being open to interpretation. She also referenced the Beyond Barriers report document quite a lot and the active engagement that we have done to invite people to invest in Ireland under certain terms. The risk is that if those terms change we are opening ourselves up then. Those arguments are rea…

I move amendment No. 27: In page 4, to delete lines 24 to 31. The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, after consultation, may by order prescribe an international agreement as an agreement to which the section applies. I do not agree with the idea that this Bill can, just by an order of the Minister, be made applicable to any agreement in the future. The concern is that this is the last opportunity colleagues will have to provide any scrutiny or analysis. This is particularly the case for the Seanad because it l…

It is not agreed.

I do not object to any of the contents of this motion. In fact, it provides a fairly comprehensive overview of the litany of egregious actions and human rights violations being perpetrated by the Israeli state. However, it leaves me a bit bewildered as to why the Government has been dragged, kicking and screaming, by the public and the Opposition to have additional meaningful action beyond words on Palestine. That statement will upset people. We hear often from the Taoiseach that no one has a monopoly on empathy. I…

I second the amendment.

I propose an amendment to the Order of Business to seek that No. 13 be taken before No. 1. I refer to putting the Air Navigation and Transport (Amendment) Bill 2026 on the Order Paper. The Bill is grounded in the simple principle of upholding Irish neutrality, the sovereignty of our airspace and international law. For decades, Shannon Airport has been used as a transit hub for US military operations. Recent reporting in the media has raised serious questions about the scale of those activities and the lack of trans…

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to amend the Air Navigation and Transport Act 1946 for the purpose of giving further effect to the Convention on International Civil Aviation opened for signature at Chicago on 7 December 1946; and to provide for related matters.