I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, to the House.

I raise the question of public amenities, or the lack of them, at areas such as beaches. Speaking to people at the weekend, it seems this is a major problem we have ignored totally for the past decade. We have the most beautiful beaches and scenery from Mayo all the way to Cork but the lack of public amenities at these beaches is a real disgrace. Families going to a beach might have no access to an amenity, which makes no sense whatever. We have spoken about a State vacation policy and investment in sports capital …

I welcome and acknowledge the Minister's statement earlier this evening in the Chamber. It was a very powerful statement of the way we are going with this unfortunate crisis that we have experienced in the past six days. It is hard to imagine that six days ago this war was inflicted on the Ukrainian people. In many ways we are watching this war from Ireland on social media and our access to such media has made very obvious the pain that the Ukrainian people are experiencing. Last Monday I met a delegation in my off…

Tomorrow at 10.30 a.m.

I welcome our three colleagues from the European Parliament, namely, Mr. Kelly, Mr. Kelleher and, in particular, our former colleague, Ms O'Sullivan. We have discussed many things today. Will our guests give an overview of where they think CAP reform is going? It is probably the most important legislation for the agricultural community. It has gone back from the European Parliament to the Commission. Are the Members happy with where they think the new proposals are going? Some Members voted for the proposals and so…

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. Although her portfolio does not fall under the Minister for Education, it is great to have her here. I am seeking clarification with regard to an issue that has emerged in my part of the world in the past four or five days. I would like the Minister for Education to make a statement on the plans in place to accommodate students who are due to sit the State examinations in June and are deemed to be close contacts of a person who has Covid-19. We have put in place a platf…

I thank the Minister of State for her response, the last portion of which was where the detail came in. I do not understand why, when it comes to the leaving certificate cycle, we have a completely different approach. The leaving certificate gives an opportunity for the resitting of the examination process in certain circumstances. It gives people the opportunity to sit the examination and go through a process. I know students who cannot do the mock examinations because they are self-isolating. A leaving certificat…

We are four weeks away from St. Patrick's Day. Communities up and down the length of the country are putting plans together for St. Patrick's Day parades. One of the big issues we have come across, particularly in the past 48 hours, is St. Patrick's Day parades trying to get insurance. Quotations have been received of anything from €1,800 to nearly €3,000 to cover a parade for the day. This would be for a parade that could last less than 90 minutes. This is a very significant burden on these communities as they try…

I welcome the Minister and the Chairman of the joint committee, Deputy Cahill. I compliment the members of the committee present in the Chamber. Senators Boyhan, O'Donovan and Daly have been very active in the agriculture committee. All three are members, along with myself. We have worked with the Chairman of the committee on a very workmanlike basis over the last 18 months. We have dealt with forestry every month, I think. On several occasions we have brought senior members of the Executive before us, including th…

I want to speak to amendment No. 9. In this House a few hours ago, several Members were present when we debated the forestry industry, including the Minister of State. It was a really important debate. We spoke about the report that was published 12 months ago, which was debated again today, and that outlined the 12 recommendations required for the industry to move forward. The Minister of State gave a very comprehensive response regarding those issues. For those of us who have read the report and know the absolute…

That is a key factor in what this real proposal is about. It is about trying to make sure we have the opportunity at farm level to ensure that we can actually plant trees. That is a really important thing. The Minister of State has pointed out her own reasons for this amendment but that opportunity being given to the farming community is something we should support. Do we really want to go through assessments for 0.1 ha? We spend more money on consultants and making sure we are doing the right thing, and nobody wil…

Like the Leader, I am very much in agreement with our colleagues on the left.

It is a rare occasion in many ways. We discussed this issue during pre-legislative scrutiny at the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine. One of the recommendations was that this should be looked at. The committee met representatives from farms, industry and the Department. We thought officials from the Department had listened to us. This was one of the issues raised in the committee's published pre-legislative scrutiny report. It is a very significant issue. More than 30 people will lose t…

I acknowledge the statement of the Minister of State. With regard to the workers' rights, I mentioned the work that has been done locally. The lack of a task force for these three areas has been discussed. Just transition is an important term. We need to make sure we act on it on the ground. These are three rural areas where 50 jobs will be affected. Having options from the community welfare officer will not secure appropriate jobs in that location. How that will be addressed will take a real body of work. A task f…

I wish to comment on Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, and how effective it is at delivering projects. A debate is required in the House with the Minister responsible for transport regarding these issues. Bandon in west Cork has had an unfinished bypass for the past few decades. There is currently a process of putting forward proposals for a new extension to this bypass, which is badly needed. I met representatives from TII last Friday to discuss the project. It is at stage 2 of a six-stage process and it coul…

The Minister of State is welcome to the Chamber. I would like the Minister for Education to make a statement on plans to build a second post-primary school in Kinsale, which is a wonderful part of the world. History and geography have been very good to Kinsale over millions of years. It is a growing, thriving town. Its population has grown enormously over the last few years. In the 2016 census, the population of Kinsale had risen to 5,281. The county development plan states that by 2028 it is expected that the popu…

I thank the Minister of State for his response. It is about the county development plan process and tying everything together. We probably need to talk about a complex that will have the capability for transportation links to be built in. We need to strategically plan ahead on a ten-year basis. I am not alone looking at the development of Kinsale but the villages around it, which are all very scenic. There is extensive development at present. The housing developments in Kinsale, when the census is published in eigh…

I welcome the Minister to the Chamber and acknowledge he is bringing forward important legislation to, in many ways, bring clarity to this industry regarding how the penalty points will work. We have been talking about this for a significant period of time and there is a feeling out there that we need to put a fair and appropriate scheme in place. That is what fishermen and women are talking to me about continuously. We realise that there has to be legislation and regulation but it has to be fair. That is the ultim…

Next Tuesday.

I concur with my colleagues, Senators Ahearn and Paul Daly, on the issue of green waste. It is quite bizarre that in this day and age we were given an indication that this exemption would be extended but, unfortunately, it has not been. Time is ticking. There are only a few weeks to get this sorted. I appeal to the Leader to engage directly to try to get movement on this issue. One of the big issues I have encountered in recent weeks is that of digital hubs. The digital hubs network is very important infrastructure…