Like others, I welcome the Minister and recognise the vision he has had in this area for many years. That vision and the policies he has developed are now starting to lead Government in a particular way. We have been very good at that aspect of things. While this is not a criticism of the Minister but of the wider apparatus of government, there has been a significant deficit in planning and delivery. I share a lot of the views Senator McDowell expressed. He will know from his time in government just how difficult t…

It is always refreshing when the Minister joins us in the House because he speaks with such passion. He has done so again without notes. It comes naturally to him. He has been an advocate for most of his life - certainly from the time I got to know him - on this issue. As has been said, he became an overnight success at COP27. That expression is in recognition of the number of years these conferences have been ongoing. It is only in the past couple of years that the public have started to become engaged. We have ac…

Like others, I want to join in wishing the Finnish people all the best on their day of commemoration. I welcome the ambassador to the House. It is a pleasure to have him. Like many other people, we woke this morning to yet another report on our national air waves about the shooting of two individuals yesterday evening in the city of Dublin, and the sad passing of one of those people. It has become somewhat of a regularity. It is not just in the city of Dublin, however. We had the situation of a shooting in Ennis, a…

I support the Green Party motion. It is good we can have an open and frank debate and that we have so much in common on this issue. Forestry and the production of timber have for far too long not been advanced in the way they should have been and have not provided the benefits to the country that they should. It is only in recent years that people have come to understand that forestry and the production of timber have a really positive impact on the environment in terms of the carbon it sequesters. We have failed o…

Back in July 2021, a number of security firms received a High Court injunction preventing the Minister from moving ahead with an employment regulation order which I understand would have improved significantly the pay and conditions of staff who work in the security sector. Nothing further appears to have happened since. Many of these people work very long hours. They work very hard and are almost always in the front line. If possible I would like a debate on this issue in the House at the earliest opportunity give…

Like others, I had an opportunity to attend this morning's presentation by the Samaritans. The work it does is often undervalued and not given the recognition it is due. It is not just about what is done by people who are in management positions but also about the work of the tremendous volunteers, often throughout the night, to assist people who have a crisis. There is no doubt the work they do is responsible for saving lives. They deal with people and take calls at night when people reach a crisis point. Through …

I appreciate the opportunity to speak on this matter. I welcome the Minister of State to the House and join with the Acting Chair in recognising the tremendous enthusiasm, effort and energy she has put into her brief. I know first-hand the work she does. I have seen her visit a number of facilities in the constituency of Clare, an area I know well. I have seen the way she deals with Department officials, with nursing home owners and with patients. She is universally regarded and liked by all, not only because of he…

I assure the Senator that I have not. There are others I want to retain, but I have not said it.

Leaders from around the world met last week and again this week in Sharm el-Sheikh to try to move the world towards having greater respect for the environment by targeting the reduction in carbon emissions. While much of the talk is about policies, targets, limits and restrictions, it is up to us in these Houses to put more time into the actions that need to take place. It is fine to have the policies, targets and ambition. It requires concrete action. If anything has come out of the various intergovernmental repor…

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate. Since my good friend Senator Malcolm Byrne has arrived with a number of fire crew members, I assure them I am not about to say anything explosive that will require their skill sets. I live in a part of County Clare that has a considerable amount of afforestation. We regularly have forest fires at certain times of the year. I pay tribute to the fire services and crews in that context because the work they do can be long, laborious and very dangerous, in additio…

I ask that the Leader would organise a debate in this House on the issue of forestry. Forestry and the continued planting of trees is really important to our economy from a couple of perspectives. First, there is a shortage of timber in Europe for construction and Ireland could benefit handsomely into the future if an appropriate level of planting is done to meet the needs of the next generation. In addition to that, the planting of forestry has a really positive impact on the environment, in that it removes carbon…

I join my party colleague Senator O'Loughlin in congratulating Noeline Blackwell on her recent award. It is appropriate and fitting given she has been a champion of women's rights for many years. She is an unsung hero in society. The primary issue I raise relates to the revaluation of properties that are subject to commercial rates in a number of counties, including Clare. Over recent months, ratepayers have been receiving revaluation certificates. I have met many who have found the process not to be to their satis…

The Leader will be aware, and we have read in today's newspapers, that the Irish dancing organisation at the centre of the feis fixing scandal has received a report from Mr. Justice Peart. We now understand that the next phase of that will be an internal process within that organisation. Parents and teachers who have contacted me over recent weeks and again this morning are deeply unhappy with the way matters have transpired. The information, or leaks if you want, which led to this investigation was provided to the…

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and look forward to the swift passage of the Bill. It is important legislation that attempts, in so far as possible, to address the crisis many families and individuals will face over the coming months. We all are aware of the spiralling cost of gas, the impact it is having on the electricity market and how that permeates down to each individual household. To some extent, the potential crisis is masked at the moment by the reasonably good weather we have had. Therefore, …

Now.

I ask the Leader to organise a debate on the changes proposed under the 2023 Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, programme. For some years now, the Burren region of County Clare has been a specially designated zone under the Burren programme, which was developed by Dr. Brendan Dunford. It is about the appropriate management of the grassland that makes up the Burren, done in a sympathetic way with nature, working with the farmers in the region to ensure the environment is not just protected but enhanced and allowed to …

I ask the Leader to organise a debate on the control of dogs and, in particular, the activity that seems to have increased in recent times of illegal hunting by a certain fraternity using lurchers. It is a practice that has become considerably prevalent in the north Clare area where there is a particularly good stock of hares because that region is known for regulated coursing. We now have individuals coming in from outside with lurchers illegally hunting hares in the dusk of morning and night, which is having a hu…

I thank the Cathaoirleach. I welcome the opportunity to discuss this issue as per the way the amendment is phrased. There are plenty of homeowners in County Clare who are affected by this. They rightly have a level of upset about some of the quarries, and in the case of Clare it is CRH, quite frankly. It is probably the biggest quarry and biggest aggregate company in western Europe, with operations all over the world. It is a hugely profitable company and there is a necessity for a detailed investigation into how a…

Just for clarification, if the State is going to spend €4 billion of taxpayers' money on this redress - and I suspect by the time it is completed it will be multiples of that - there is an encumbrance on the State to take action against those who, either through wilful neglect or abject failure, have allowed that to happen on their watch. It is to recover what the State will spend on behalf of the other taxpayers. By the way, the people whose homes will be rebuilt are taxpayers too. They would prefer their tax euro…

I, too, have concerns in respect of the section. In nearly any walk of life, if a person is to appeal a decision, that is usually done on the basis that an error was made in the decision or further clarification can be provided that will make it easier for a decision maker to understand what the issue was in the first instance or help the applicant to gain access to whatever scheme it may be. I would like to hear the clarification of the Minister of State. I am sure he is not designing a system to exclude people. T…