Senator Daly is the Cathaoirleach. The speaker is speaking. It is not a conversation.

Senator Ó Donnghaile has already spoken. I have to speak.

I thought I was next.

That was on the list that was read out.

That was what I understood. Okay.

It is on the list the Acting Chairperson, Senator Boyhan, read out. That is what I thought it was. A Bill on fur farming was before this House a couple of months ago. The Government tabled a number of amendments relating to forestry at the end of the debate on it. It is possible within this Bill, and I have tabled a number of amendments on this, as have Senators Ruane and Flynn, to expand the categories of people who vote. Politicians generally get a little protective over their space because we are all political p…

I move amendment No. 18: In page 22, lines 30 and 31, to delete "are civil servants within the meaning of the Civil Service Regulation Act 1956" and substitute the following: "are civil servants (within the meaning of the Civil Service Regulation Acts 1956 to 2005) in the Civil Service of the State". This is a technical amendment around consistency of language. The Civil Service is divided into civil servants who work in Departments under Ministers and civil servants in the service of the State working in statutory…

I also wish to raise a housing matter and it is related to the increase in housing assistance payment, HAP, figures. On Friday, I put in a query on behalf of somebody whose house is being sold and who is about to be made homeless. The person cannot find anything for under €1,500 per month. I inquired whether the revised HAP figures that the Minister had indicated at a social housing conference three years previously had been communicated to local authorities and I was told the local authority had not received any c…

I welcome the ambassador to the Distinguished Visitors Gallery. I want to raise the issue of the 206 Irish women who travelled to the UK in 2021 to receive basic healthcare. A total of 50% received it under ground C, which is the 12-week limit, and 50% received it under ground D, which deals with terminations for medical reasons. It is clear that the legislation is failing some people. It is important in the review of the abortion legislation that we bear this in mind and we do not simply focus on narrow issues. We…

I thank the Minister of State for attending and outlining the position on the annual emissions statement. It is worth pointing out that we are doing so at a stage when, as reported last week, one third of the population is in energy poverty. It is unfortunate that we are dealing with the figures from 2019 and not the present-day ones because it is difficult to have a look at an honest, realistic benchmark. I say that because the Government came into power in 2020. It has made significant progress from a green persp…

I pay tribute to the Independent Group for tabling this motion. I am standing in for Senator Hoey. Members of our group attended the briefing that was held recently. The campaigners showed an excellent grasp of the issues, and excellent advocacy on behalf of their members and people who have been affected by neurological conditions. They have sent more than 11,000 emails to Members to date and submitted 100 parliamentary questions. I pay tribute to the campaigners and those affected by neurological conditions. They…

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the Chamber. This legislation, the intention of which is to modernise our democracy, is very welcome. For this reason, it is vitally important that we get the legislation right and get it done on a non-partisan basis. What I do not want to see happen is what happened at the pre-legislative scrutiny stage when members took political positions on the Bill to get at other political parties. When I speak about lottery fundraising, I will not do so from the perspective of anot…

I sympathise with the colleagues and friends of Jo Cox, whose sixth anniversary is today. A quote from Jo Cox before she was tragically and brutally murdered by a fascist was, “We are far more united and have far more in common than that which divides us.” We all know and understand that whipping up fear and hate in a political context can lead to tragic consequences. On the sixth anniversary of her death, when the British Government is trying to do something very similar to distract from parties during lockdown, i…

I thank the Independent Members, in particular Senator Norris, for bringing forward this Bill, which is comprehensive, wide-ranging and contains stick measures in it as well for failure to protect the built heritage. I am very pleased the Bill is before the House and we are strongly supportive of it, as well as of a review and consolidation of wider planning legislation that the Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage has been examining. The Bill tackles a number of different issues, many of which…

The Labour Party welcomes and will be supporting this Bill. It is vital that we as a country move to a fairer, more sustainable and equitable economic waste system. The importance of this is now being felt acutely by ordinary working people across the country who are struggling as a result of the rising cost of living and high levels of inflation. It is hard to understate the importance of reducing waste, and the corresponding levels of pollution that arise because of how it affects our landscape, air quality and w…

I welcome our friends and colleagues from Ukraine, the Ukrainian ambassador and the people in the Gallery who are watching these proceedings. I am pleased and honoured to welcome them to the Seanad on behalf of the Labour Party. I pay tribute to the bravery of all of our Ukrainian colleagues and the Ukrainian people and their dedication to a free, fair and independent democracy. In recent weeks I have had occasion to reread a book I read in 2018 by Philippe Sands, an international scholar of human rights law. His g…

I call for a debate in the House on special education. My party leader and colleague, Deputy Bacik, has also been calling for such a debate in the Dáil. We see from the published SNA allocations that they have been frozen for the third year in a row. For an awful lot of SNAs, if issues have arisen, there will not be enough time for them to appeal and be in place in September. It is very unfair on these essential workers in the Irish education system who need to have dignity and respect in their work and to be able …

I pay tribute to the beekeepers outside and to Senator Martin for bringing forward this legislation. As an inner-city Dub, biodiversity and bees do not come naturally to me and I found it a learning experience over recent days with the emails we have been getting and the threat the Irish honeybee is under. The Civil Service response is to the effect that it contravenes EU law. Trade should not and does not trump climate, biodiversity or the need for protection of pathogens. If we are to get to grips with our climat…

I move amendment No. 68: In page 25, between lines 28 and 29, to insert the following: “ Information relating to contact preference 17 . In every case where an applicant is provided under this Act with a copy of the records that contain the birth information to which the application relates, or with a statement setting out the birth information contained in those records, the Authority shall send to the applicant, by prepaid registered post or other recorded delivery, a statement by the Authority setting out, in so…

The Minister's task is unenviable. I understand the point he made about whether the message is conveyed via telephone call, but I have also heard from people who have had to have those conversations with adoption authorities and felt very traumatised by it in terms of the reaction. Equally, letters can be cold. It is a very difficult matter and I really do not envy the Minister in trying to strike that balance. That said, we will move this amendment. In the interim, and we have heard it from both sides of this Hous…