We have a very serious matter to discuss today. Some 15% of all women and 6% of all men in Ireland have experienced severe domestic violence from a partner. That would, statistically, put at least three of us in this room in that category. I concur with Senator Hoey that she is, sadly, not the only one in this room who has suffered from sexual abuse. I can personally vouch for that. The sad thing is that I know very few women who have not been harassed sexually or abused verbally at some stage in their lives. As yo…

I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Education, Deputy Madigan, to the House, and I congratulate her on her new role. It is a pleasure to have her here. My Commencement matter is a very straightforward issue. We are all aware that the number of people diagnosed with autism every year is on the increase in this country. We have done quite well in recent years with regard to the autism spectrum disorder, ASD, units in the primary school sector. I tabled my Commencement matter because we are not doing …

I thank the Minister of State for her response. One new class for 2020-21 means just six more places for the entire county of Clare. That will not even meet the needs of the eight pupils coming from Sixmilebridge to Shannon so the process needs to be sped up. I heard the Minister of State's clear statement that it is up to schools to apply. That probably answers why private schools and non-DEIS schools do not seem to have any ASD units. Obviously they are do not want or are unwilling to supply the service to pupils…

Yes, I know.

I understand now that it is also important for schools to apply for such units and that they are not simply provided arising from a departmental stipulation.

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan. I do not know if our paths have crossed previously. Last winter was the wettest ever recorded in Ireland. Over 30 towns and villages experienced flooding, with over 600 homes evacuated. Some €48 million is due to be spent by 2021 on flood defences alone. Flooding and storm damage have cost the taxpayer over €3 billion in the last three decades. This is only the tip of iceberg as we face into a very uncertain future with climate change. It is time for a national dis…

I thank the Minister of State for coming into the House. Well done to Senator Flynn, in particular, for getting to the Seanad. I had a much cushier upbringing than she did and it is always easier to succeed when one has all the rights open to one from day one. It is also important to acknowledge that it is not just Senator Flynn's job to sort out this situation; the responsibility lies with every Member of this House and the Lower House. Let us not leave all this to Senator Flynn to sort out. It is up to every huma…

I seek the support of the House regarding an important issue that has come to light recently and which is prevalent in every county in Ireland, namely, the lack of second-level autism spectrum disorder, ASD, units. The number of diagnosed cases of autism is increasing all over the country but we have failed to take this into account and to create the necessary spaces at second level. We are doing much better at primary level in the provision of ASD units but autism does not go away. If we have ASD units in our prim…

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, to the House and congratulate her. It is great to see fresh legs for this new challenge we face because it is a tough one and there is a long legacy behind her. I wish the Minister of State the best of luck with the challenge she faces. As she is very aware, day services provision was closed down, or limited to a skeleton support during the first lockdown. Since July, day services were reintroduced on a phased basis. I am delighted to hear the Minister of State refe…

It is a shame that we have to use Private Members' business for this kind of thing but that is what it has come to. Nobody wants to use Private Members' business for these kind of situations but it is a grave situation. Most of all, I am confused. First, I am confused there are so few Members from Sinn Féin here, as it is a grave issue. There is one person. That is quite shocking. I am also confused because Sinn Féin says it is an all-Ireland party, but is it or is it not? If it is, how can it justify not allowing …

Senator Byrne is letting me go first and is hoping I will stop early and leave him some time.

Letting me go first is a big risk. I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to discuss this important issue. Water is the basis of all human life. We live in it, we drink it, we sleep in it, we wash ourselves in it, we grow all our food with it and we swim in it. It is such an important issue and we still have major problems with water in rural Ireland. That is why I and my colleague, Senator Byrne, are raising this matter today. The lack of infrastructure is paralysing the renewal of villages and town…

I thank the Minister of State. That is great. I look forward to getting more detail about those measures. It is interesting that funding is to be provided for wells and septic tanks. We all know that septic tanks can be handled really well or really badly. People may need a bit more education and assistance on how to operate them properly. Everybody wants to do it right. Nobody does not want to. I have been looking up replies and looking for specific details so I can help to get the local authorities and Irish Wate…

I move: That Seanad Éireann: endorses: - Dáil Éireann’s declaration of a climate and biodiversity emergency on 9 May 2019, and the steps that have been taken since that date at local, national and European levels to address the ongoing emergency; acknowledges that: - nature and biodiversity, meaning the diversity of living things within ecosystems, are deteriorating globally at rates unprecedented in human history, thus steadily destroying the essential basis for our health, sustenance, prosperity and quality of li…

It is what we are looking at when we consider biodiversity in the plant and animal world. There are very few varieties and we see the same thing over and over. During this debate, I hope to go through some of the reasons it is so important we do not go to 60 Róisín Garveys or one type of tree or animal left on the planet. It is what we face in this emergency we are discussing today. I will start from the ground up, or even beneath the ground. I will mention the soil beneath our feet because sometimes we forget the …

It is our view in the Green Party that the biodiversity crisis should and must remain top of the political agenda over the next decade. Biodiversity is literally about the air we breathe, the food we eat and the places we live. The collapse of natural habitats, the loss of species and the degradation of our fresh and marine water ecosystems are on a scale unparalleled in human history. Future generations will judge us on how we respond to this existential crisis but we are up for the challenge. We all want to be ab…

It is really important that we value their work in protecting biodiversity.

We will have to support the workers, the farmers. They are the most important people we need to engage with to protect our land and planet for future generations.

I strongly support this motion. I am grateful that time was allowed for this motion and the amendment. It is important that we all work together on this. I do not want to hear about political footballs; this is too important. We owe it to future generations to do something. We can live on this planet only because of biodiversity.

Of course, it is very important to put safety first. In terms of light rail, heavy rail, walking, cycling and so on, everything must be safer. My own mother has stopped using trains because of the gap between the platform and the trains which frightens her. Perhaps we should look at that if it is proving prohibitive for older people because safety is key. For too long we have been designing for cars. If one designs for cars, one gets cars which is why we still have gridlock in all of our major cities and towns. If …