I did not interrupt you. I asked: do you have a commitment to the environment; do you have a commitment to climate? Because I see no evidence of that.

He is not my MEP. I cannot vote for him.

I read Silent Spring by Rachel Carson many years ago and it was an eye-opener for me when I was studying planning and environmental management in Dublin Institute of Technology more than 20 years ago. It detailed humans poisoning nature for their own gain and I thought how ludicrous it is that we would kill and destroy in attempts to produce more. It makes no sense. How do we convey to everyone how serious this is? How do we make this the issue that everything must revolve around? The life support and complex ecolo…

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to establish a new designation for the protection of nature sites, the Sites Locally Important for Ecology Order, to improve protection for trees under the existing Tree Preservation Order, including prioritising preservation, lopping, and trimming; to provide for local authorities to maintain a public register of Sites Locally Important for Ecology and Tree Preservation Orders; to provide for an appeals process for when the decision regarding a Tree…

I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."

I commend the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, on the work he and his officials have done on the Bill. Throughout the House it is recognised that we have in the Minister of State with responsibility for heritage somebody who is deeply committed and has spent a lifetime trying to protect heritage, cultural heritage and nature. He is now doing this throughout the country in his role as Minister of State and did so previously in his role on Kilkenny County Council where he was Cathaoirleach for a spell and served a l…

I thank the Minister, Deputy McGrath. It is broadly welcomed, generally, by everybody here today to see a VAT reduction in the supply and installation of solar panels. It has been brought in as a financial resolution and I thank the Minister for explaining that as I did not realise it is so that we can implement this on 1 May, prior to the Finance Bill being passed. This demonstrates the speed and the commitment of this Government to act on renewables and address cost-of-living expenses for people to help them with…

I thank the Minister, Deputy McGrath. It is broadly welcomed, generally, by everybody here today to see a VAT reduction in the supply and installation of solar panels. It has been brought in as a financial resolution and I thank the Minister for explaining that as I did not realise it is so that we can implement this on 1 May, prior to the Finance Bill being passed. This demonstrates the speed and the commitment of this Government to act on renewables and address cost-of-living expenses for people to help them with…

Last week the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC, report set out in the clearest detail possible that our climate is in meltdown. If we do not act quickly, urgently and effectively, we are condemning future generations to a costly and dark future. They are sitting in the Gallery listening to us today. That is why I am here, namely, to act now, take those challenges and make those tough decisions. I have confidence in the Government, my colleagues and the Green Party to lead on climate as we have always…

-----and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, the most ambitious and overdue legislation the Opposition would never have introduced. We are changing transport, providing huge investment in a new rail fleet, electrification, greater frequency and slashing public transport fares for everybody. There are buses serving towns that never had a bus before. There are safe walking and cycling routes for our children, students and everybody throughout our towns. We have introduced renewable energy, offshore wind, free solar …

There is an issue with the lack of enforcement regarding parking on cycle paths, footpaths and disability bays. Fewer than one person per day nationally was issued with a fine for parking in cycle lanes. I have the figures for 2021 and 2022 from the Garda Commissioner. A total of €360 million per year is spent on active travel to make those safe routes to school and provide accessibility. Better Garda enforcement is needed. I ask the Tánaiste to engage with the Minister for Justice to direct the Garda Commissioner …

I am delighted the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, is here to answer this question regarding solar panels for schools. Last October, we announced in the budget that we would roll out solar panels on schools for free. It is a very sensible suggestion. It can power the lighting and the interactive white boards in the schools. The increase in the number of school meals we rolled out can be heated. I am delighted we were able to introduce it in last year's budget. We know solar works very well in Ireland and ther…

I appreciate the Minister's response. I visit many schools around County Wicklow and I commend her Department on the quality of the build of the new schools there. The quality is exceptionally high. The pathfinder programme is very important. The Minister knows better than anybody the pressure schools are often under to heat their buildings. They are always under financial pressure. They have to spend the money on heating when they could be spending it on activities for the children and the students. I think the Mi…

I want to ask about the roll-out of solar panels for schools which was announced in the budget last year. It is a sensible measure to assist schools with their energy costs, to provide lighting, to power whiteboards etc and to heat meals under the expanded hot school meals programme. When I visit schools and am asked when they will get their solar panels, what should I tell the teachers and pupils?

There is always great excitement and anticipation on the announcement of the sports capital grants. The Minister of State will know well how much these grants mean to the sports clubs up and down the country. I think every Member in the House is aware of it. The volunteers who keep those clubs running extract huge value out of every euro that comes in those grants. When can we expect the next round of sports capital funding to be announced?

That is considerable funding that we put into it. It shows that we all acknowledge the value of sports for well-being in our community and what it does for communities. I have had the opportunity to work with a number of the clubs that did receive funding in the last year or two and to assist in the appeals process, which is an important thing to stress. Lacken-Kilbride GAA Club got substantial funding and Greystones Lawn Tennis Club, Sea Scouts and a range of community activities also benefited. Could we also look…

I agree. I think that sports capital grant schemes is one of the best grant schemes that we have through government. A great many clubs have benefited from it across the country. It is a very fair and equitable scheme. Clubs benefit where we get to engage with them, advise them and we learn the lessons from applications that were not successful. I am working on a particular one in west Wicklow, which is the subject of Question No. 22 on sports capital grants which we will not reach. Crossing the mountains in Wicklo…

I join the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, in acknowledging the massive investment secured by the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, and the Minister of State, Senator Hackett, in our forestry plan and thank them for it. Some of the facts and figures that have gone out on the investment opportunity with the Gresham House fund have been misleading. It is important to put it in context. The Government policy is to establish approximately 450,000 ha of land into forests by 2050. Coillte will manage approximately 100,000 …

The Government recently announced the installation of solar panels on secondary and primary schools. The Government has made great strides in solar at utility scale and domestic scale, with feed-in tariffs, substantial grants and planning exemptions. It makes a lot of sense to expand this to our schools to help them with their energy bills and in our climate challenge. I understand it is to be funded by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and is to be run out by the Department of Education…

For reasons of planning on transport, energy and climate and protecting nature, I got involved in politics. For 20 years I have knocked on doors talking about the climate challenge. The climate plan we have introduced is the reason I am here. I am proud that the Green Party in Government has delivered that. I have no doubt in my mind that without the Green Party in Government the climate challenge would not be met. It is a huge challenge. We know that and we have not done enough to face it. Our children, grandchild…