I welcome the Minister of State and acknowledge her great efforts to make sure that this Bill has got this far. I acknowledge my former colleague in Cork South-West, former Minister of State, Jim Daly, who worked hard to make sure that this legislation went through the earlier parts of scrutiny. It is an important day for so many people. My office, like many offices, has been somewhat inundated by people asking when this legislation was going to happen and be signed into law. Will the Minister of State clarify her …

I welcome the Minister's amendment on foot of the amendments proposed last week. It brings clarity to how we can work through the ministerial ability to set the removal targets going forward and also how the legislation will work. I am grateful to the Minister and his officials for the briefing last night, as I was deeply concerned about where this was going to go. It is important that we had that discussion. I am very much in favour of the amendment, which will work well for society and for the agricultural commun…

I wish to raise the issue of the lack of infrastructure and funding when we look at issues pertaining to roads. West Cork, in particular, has a population of almost 90,000. If it was a county on its own, it would be the eighth largest county in Ireland. It is on a par with County Kilkenny and places like County Westmeath. The lack of funding for infrastructure is a huge issue, however. Last 15 August, we had significant flooding in places like Rosscarbery, in particular. Rathbarry, Skibbereen and Bantry were devast…

I move amendment No. 1: In page 6, line 29, after “emissions” to insert “minus removals”. I welcome the Minister to this important debate regarding the climate action legislation. It is an important Bill that I believe, as a society, we need to progress. The amendment, which I have tabled with the help of many of my colleagues having consulted with the majority of Members, will hopefully give due recognition to carbon sequestration and how that could affect carbon budgets under the Bill. We have seen major projects…

In the next two or three days, thousands of primary school children will be getting their summer holidays. This will be a great experience for the kids. I am sure the parents might not have the same view. It will be an unusual period for the next few weeks. I want to mention something about primary education. There is a major issue we need to start talking about. Over the last few weeks, the Drumcondra tests have been done in primary education. From first to six class, there is a period of exams. Results from secon…

I welcome the Minister. I had the pleasure of sitting beside him for nearly four years on the committee we worked on with regard to climate change. From my point of view, it was very informative. That work we began many years ago in 2016 has now come through. The Minister has a great knowledge of the issues at hand and I am sure he will do a very capable job. We see that in the legislation before us today. It is a significant legislative measure and one that society has been asking for and talking about for a long …

I wish to raise the issue of the sports capital grant, which is an important initiative that has ensured the roll-out of significant funding to sports clubs throughout the country in recent decades. It is unique funding that gives sports clubs an opportunity to embark on large-scale developments. The pot of €40 million is very welcome. More than 3,100 applicants have sought money from the fund. The Department stated the calls for funding amount to in excess of €200 million. More than 60 different sports have sought…

I raise the issue of the fishing industry. On Wednesday last, I attended a major protest when 50 or 60 vessels sailed up Cork Harbour to protest about where the fishing industry is at the moment. The industry has been through a torrid time. Brexit has been a major issue and fishers are unsure about where the markets will go. The new requirement to weigh fish on the pier side is a huge issue, as is the question of how to make the sector sustainable and comply with health and safety and food regulations. There is an …

I thank the Acting Chairperson for the opportunity to speak on this important motion. I compliment Senator Craughwell on bringing it forward. It is important that there be an airing of views on all aspects of where we are going with regard to air and sea services and where SAR services fit in with those. I come from a coastal community. I live three or three and a half miles from the sea and we have the unfortunate and positive view of seeing these helicopters work every month. On a Sunday afternoon three weeks ago…

Due to a heavy rainfall this month, May 2021 will be recorded as being the wettest May ever. The rainfall has had knock-on effects on the agricultural community because, traditionally, ten or 11 days of silage cutting would have been completed. As there is now a backlog, the end of this month and the month of June will be very busy. I am also very concerned about the statistics for farm safety during these few months. In the last decade, with machinery and farm accidents but particularly with machinery, 118 people …

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, to the Chamber. I am seeking a statement from the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine on the legislation that enforces the removal of abandoned vessels from Irish waters and what plans, if any, there are to strengthen that legislation to deal with the extensive occurrence of vessels being abandoned. This is an important issue and a legacy issue in many rural communities. There is a blight in our territorial waters. In many areas, vessels have been abandoned for …

I thank the Minister of State for his response. It is probably in line with what we have been receiving. The clarity in his response is very limited. In particular, we cannot even find the owner of a ship wreck. That is probably the position currently in County Cork. This is a legacy issue. We have had ship wrecks onshore for decades with no movement to remove them. That is the primary issue. Legislation, debate and a change in ethos on this issue in Government Buildings are needed. The Government view on this is t…

I welcome the Minister and acknowledge his great efforts in this really important topic of housing. The delivery of affordable housing is one of the key issues in our society. This legislation before us is the most important piece regarding that in over a decade. I fully support it and compliment the Minister on it. There are many issues when it comes to affordable housing. Affordability is probably the key issue. I will speak in a moment about the cost of housing. Supply is a key issue for us all. I welcomed the a…

Indeed. The Father of the House is dead right. Tradesmen, particularly those in the wet trades, such as the plasterers and block masons, are nearly impossible to get. That is the core issue. Before the boom, we had tradesmen and labourers coming in from abroad. That is not happening now. The support will have to come from our own society. Tying it all together will be a very significant issue in addressing the housing crisis. It will also be an issue for construction. This is important legislation but, in fairness …

It is great to be back in the Chamber. I raise An Taisce's decision to appeal a significant proposal by Glanbia to a higher court last week. It is a really significant decision and something we need to start having a conscious debate about. The hard-working farming community and food industry are under enough pressure without having An Taisce taking this decision this morning. It is having a huge impact on the industry and the communities. The economic and social impacts of this decision could have long-term conseq…

I concur with my colleague, Deputy Dooley, on the need for a debate with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage on what is an important issue for society, that being, how to ensure we provide enough housing. I spoke about this issue two weeks ago in terms of the cost of building, including materials and labour. In addition to cement and insulation, that the cost of timber has increased by 40% in the past six months and the cost of steel by 48% - the cost of labour has gone that way too - means that…

I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber. I seek clarity on the statutory timeframes pertaining to aquaculture licences. The Minister of State will be very much aware of the issues in the licensing regime. Unlike other regimes, there appear to be no timelines. Anyone seeking planning permission for a commercial or residential property tomorrow morning would have a timeline from the local authority and then there is an opportunity to take it to An Bord Pleanála. Those timelines are not applicable here which cr…

I thank the Minister of State for her response. It is about that section of the Minister of State's contribution which goes through all of the issues pertaining to the licence. The real issue is there is nobody going back to the community and telling the people who have made observations or submissions what is happening. We have no idea in Kinsale what has been looked for regarding this licence. We have no idea whether studies have been looked for or about the timeframes regarding such studies. No public informatio…

I thank Senator Conway for sharing time with me. The Minister of State is more than welcome to the House. I acknowledge her presence. Her portfolio is a very important one in terms of how we can address this issue. I acknowledge the motion put down by Senator Dooley. It is very important and well timed. The post office network provides social welfare payment services to roughly 1.3 million people, which is equivalent to an average of more than €4.6 billion a year going into the economy. It is a very significant dri…

I welcome my two former colleagues back into the Chamber and wish them the best of luck. It is great to have two new Senators and a full complement in the House again. I bring to the attention of the House what I believe is an impending crisis in the building industry. In the next few months, we face a scenario where the inflation we have seen in products will result in a significant increase in house prices. The price of timber has increased by 50% in the past four months and two further price rises are due in the…