I thank the Minister of State for coming to the Chamber for this debate. This Bill follows on from the EirGrid legislation last summer. It is the second Bill on energy that indicates we are failing to take long-term energy policy seriously. Instead, we are legislating as we go in response to events. On Tuesday night, "Prime Time" had a report on the Derrybrien wind farm, which is not operational at the moment. When we try to get around or ignore EU environmental legislation, we often end up taking one step forward …

I move amendment No. 2: In page 5, line 26, to delete "The Minister may" and substitute "Subject to subsection (2), the Minister may". The amendments are pretty self-explanatory. It is essentially that the developments would be laid before the Oireachtas as resolutions. That is to ensure the backing of the Houses and parliamentary procedures.

I move amendment No. 3: In page 5, between lines 35 and 36, to insert the following: “(2) (a) If the Minister proposes to approve a designated development, whether subject to conditions or otherwise, he or she shall before doing so move a draft resolution in both Houses of the Oireachtas— (i) setting out the particulars mentioned in paragraph (b) , and (ii) authorising the Minister to approve the development. (b) The particulars referred to in paragraph (a)(i) are— (i) a description of the designated development, (…

I thought it was to be Senator Gavan first. Will the Cathaoirleach clarify this? There have been two Fianna Fáil contributors on the Order of Business but, no offence to Fianna Fáil, I thought representatives of all the groups are invited to speak first before other Senators who wish to contribute are invited to do so.

I welcome the move by the Government to bring in an eviction ban over the winter. This happens every year in France because it is considered cruel to allow people to be left on the side of the road due to evictions over the winter months. It is standard practice there every year. We need to use the time between now and March to bring back properties into the social housing sector. We have heard a lot of talk about how small landlords fleeing the sector is a leading cause of homelessness, but 62,000 people who are r…

I apologise for being late and not hearing my Civil Engagement colleagues give their opening speeches on this topic. I have come from a housing committee meeting where we are waiving pre-legislative scrutiny for the introduction of an eviction ban this year over the winter period. One of the issues we were all concerned about and were raising, was the tenant in situ scheme and how to ensure the effective application of this scheme over the winter. That is going to be the focus of some of my contribution to this deb…

I welcome the Minister to the House and commend Senator Chambers on tabling this timely motion on women's rights in Iran. We have seen photographs of life in the 1970s, with women marching down streets in Tehran wearing very fashionable 1960s and 1970s clothing. That changed after the overthrow of the Shah and the installation of Ayatollah Khomeini. Women in Iran had equal divorce rights at a time when women in Ireland could not get a barring order against a violent partner and would not get the right to divorce un…

Today I bring to the attention of the House the provision of both cost rental and social housing in the old St. Michael's Estate, what is now the Emmet Road development project. In 2018, the then Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Eoghan Murphy, said this would be a flagship cost rental project in the city, with loans from the European Investment Bank, EIB, and funds from the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government to provide, on what was a social housing site, 70% cost rental and 30%…

I welcome the Minister. I am merely standing in for my colleague, Senator Mark Wall, to flag some of the amendments we will table on Committee Stage. It is always a bit intimidating, particularly when the subject is judicial reform, when one turns up and half the Chamber is packed with barristers.

We welcome this Bill, but first I raise some of the amendments we would like to table. We are a little concerned about judicial independence. We will seek to incorporate judicial independence, appointments by the Minister, and the Dublin declaration on standards and recruitment for the appointment of members of the Judiciary into the Bill on Committee Stage. The second issue I will flag is the appointment of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission as a nominating body. The initial draft of the Bill guarantee…

I welcome the Leader and Senators back to the House after a long summer. I begin by commiserating with Ambassador Johnston and the British people on the death of their Head of State and monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. I wish to raise the following issue because we hit a milestone over the summer; more than 10,000 people are now homeless in this country, the highest number since records began. Evictions are up 55%. While the housing issue is complex and takes time to address, there is something we can do on an immediat…

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House on this matter. There are two issues at play. This will be the winter of energy. There is a need for Ireland to transfer from a fossil fuel-based economy to an energy system based on renewables. We must exploit the significant potential we have in wind. That need is now more pressing than ever. The cost of energy is spiralling out of control. That has people worried and staying up at night. They are wondering whether they can afford to heat their houses. People …

I move amendment No. 61: In page 41, line 13, after “appoint” to insert “, through the Public Appointments Service,”.

I move amendment No. 62: In page 41, to delete lines 16 to 18 and substitute the following: “(2) The Minister shall have regard to a person’s experience or expertise, including the requirement for human rights and equality training, in relation to the subject matter of decisions the subject of appeals under this Act or in relation to the hearing of appeals generally in appointing him or her under subsection (1) .”.

I move amendment No. 63: In page 41, line 24, after “appoint” to insert “, through the Public Appointments Service,”.

I move amendment No. 64: In page 42, between lines 24 and 25, to insert the following: “(m) is employed by a local authority or any government department.”.

I move amendment No. 65: In page 43, to delete lines 17 to 22 and substitute the following: “(2) An appeal under subsection (1) may not be accompanied by documents other than documents which— (a) were considered by the designated local authority or the Housing Agency, (b) were submitted to the designated local authority or the Housing Agency and ought to have been considered by the designated local authority or the Housing Agency in accordance with this Act, in making the decision the subject of the appeal, or (c) …

I move amendment No. 68: In page 51, between lines 12 and 13, to insert the following: "Review of operation of Act 51. (1) The Minister shall— (a) not later than 1 year after the date of the opening of the scheme for applications under section 13 , commence a review of the operation of this Act, and (b) not later than 6 months after the expiration of that period, make a report to each House of the Oireachtas of his or her findings and conclusions resulting from that review. (2) Without prejudice to subsection (1) ,…

On a point of order, we are meant to speak to amendments and not the section. The sections have already been gone though on other Stages. We have moved and withdrawn the amendment. People are not speaking to the amendment that we moved and withdrew.

I wish to raise the review of An Bord Pleanála by Mr. Remy Farrell and the internal report. The head of the strategic housing development, SHD, division, Mr. Paul Hyde, resigned on Friday following allegations and an investigation into some of the decisions he took. We need to ensure that the report into this matter is published in full by the Minister in order that we can see its contents and whether there was any reason for Mr. Hyde's resignation. I also ask that the internal report be published in order to ensur…