Like others, I welcome the Minister to the House. I thank him for his engagement with me on the concerns I raised about residents in Clare whose homes have suffered very serious damage due to the presence of pyrite in concrete blocks. From a very early stage, he visited some of the homeowners and met the group. As time went by, Clare was included in the scheme. Having spoken to the Clare Pyrite Action Group, headed by Dr. Martina Cleary and Ms Mary Hanley, two formidable women who have worked hard to put together a…

Together with others, I recognise, and I am sure the Minister does, the importance of ensuring that people do not get priced out of the market just as there appears to be a scheme that has the potential to help them. Inflation is certainly out of control at present. We see it in every aspect of life. Prior to the war, the pandemic and the impact that it had on disruption of supply chains have seen timber, steel, concrete - you name it - really increase and I am sure it will be necessary to put in place some kind of…

At the outset, I expressed my concerns about this matter so I think that the Minister knows my concerns. There is a view, particularly regarding pyrite, that the cracking is relatively less severe when it comes to mica. I have seen many affected houses throughout my county and over time cracks manifest themselves to a greater extent, which may fall in with the prioritisation of the remediation of homes. I would like to hear the Minister's thoughts on the following. If it turns out that elements of this scheme are n…

I thank the Minister of State and Senator O'Reilly for their work in bringing forward a sensible amendment. It does not solve the problem entirely but it goes part of the way. The concerns I had, raised with me by Cup Print and others, were that we were potentially eliminating the option for a paper cup and replacing it with an option for hard plastic. I did not take the concern on board just because it was coming from Cup Print but because I looked at the volume of plastic involved. I get fully the hierarchy menti…

I welcome the opportunity to discuss this legislation in the House. This whole Circular Economy, Waste Management (Amendment) and Minerals Development (Amendment) Bill should be about ensuring a reduction of the usage of plastic in our economy. If the Minister of State looks to the wider European approach, they have taken a more macro approach. I am thinking of Italy and other countries, for example, that have looked at attempting to reduce the amount of plastic in the economy. I accept the issue that was raised in…

We will not push it to a vote.

We may introduce it again on Report Stage.

I move amendment No. 34: In page 17, to delete lines 34 to 36 and substitute the following: “(2) In making regulations under subsection (1) in relation to a single-use item, the Minister shall have regard to: (a) the material wastage associated with the single-use item or, as the case may be, the class or classes of single-use item, concerned; and (b) the total percentage of plastic content within the material of the single-use item or, as the case may be, the class or classes of single-use item, concerned.”.

I am reiterating the point that I addressed earlier in relation to the first group of amendments. It goes back to this concern that others and I have about the unintended consequences of what we are trying to do here. I have been shown cheap alternatives to the paper cup that are marginally more expensive. I have spoken to people in the hospitality trade who sell coffee and are of the view that there will be plenty of people who still will not have a long-term keep cup. There is no doubt that the industry will fill…

I apologise. I know we are short on time. It is important to reiterate that we are mindful of avoiding unintended consequences arising from the Bill. The amendment attempts to speak to that. I hope the Minister of State can accept it. If not, I will listen to his views on it and hope he can find a way to embrace what we are trying to achieve here. In effect, we are all on the one side; it is just about how we do it. That is what is important.

I move amendment No. 52: In page 22, line 22, after “suitable” where it secondly occurs to insert “recyclable”.

We can report that the progress is good.

I welcome the opportunity to raise what I believe is an important issue and I am pleased the Minister of State with responsibility for this area is here. He does not need me to tell him about the difficulties that exist in our acute hospitals and the significant delays people have in getting access to bed capacity. Much of the elective work is now delayed because of the crisis in accident and emergency departments. Some of that relates to the inability of patients to move from the care facility, which is the acute …

I welcome the Minister of State's response. While I know what the Department is trying to do, I am concerned that the issue will be lost in reports and more bureaucracy. The State has outsourced this service and does so with other services through section 38 and section 39 agreements. Clarecare in County Clare is an example. It was never given back the funding that was cut. There were plenty of carefully worded responses from Ministers at the time stating it was a matter for the voluntary body to figure out how it …

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive statement. At the outset, the Chair opined that he had gone well over time, which helps all of us, because it means he has covered most of the bases. I listened with interest to the two previous speakers, two people for whom I have great respect. They both spoke about the social justice aspect of climate change and also the concerns Senator Mullen rightly identified. I am reminded of the old saying that it is impossible to make an omelette without breaking eggs. T…

I propose Senator Gerry Horkan.

In regard to the specific amendment I find myself largely in agreement with the approach taken by Senator Boylan relating to the scheduling of such meetings. That is a concern for IALPA. I have had numerous conversation with IALPA and found it to be upfront and straightforward about what it is trying to achieve in the best interests of the people they represent and the travelling public. The amendments the Government has brought forward are welcome. There has been a significant shift in thinking, which is helpful. …

I move: That Seanad Éireann: supports: - the right of Ukraine to exist as a sovereign, independent state that is free to choose its own political and military alliances following its own legal and constitutional provision; recognises that: - the invasion of Ukraine on 24th February, 2022 by the Russian Federation was an unprovoked act, and is contrary to international law; - the Russian Federation has perpetrated military attacks, including shelling with heavy military equipment, missile attacks launched against Uk…

I thank colleagues from across the House who have united to support this motion. I am deeply appreciative that people have put their political differences aside and that we as a Chamber have come together around an issue that we hold dear, as has been well ventilated by all sides. There has been a recognition by all of the principles of democracy and that every country has a right to self-determination - to decide how to govern itself, elect its own leaders and make decisions on foreign policy and, equally, defence…

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after “That” and substitute the following: “Seanad Éireann: notes that: - the International Energy Agency defines energy security as the uninterrupted availability of energy sources at an affordable price; - Ireland imports over 70 per cent of the energy we use, compared to a European Union total of almost 60 per cent; - oil and gas represent around 80 per cent of Ireland’s primary energy requirement; - all of the oil used in Ireland is imported; - approximately three qua…