On Tuesday, 21 December 2021.

I move: “That Seanad Éireann: acknowledges: - the time and effort committed by the officials of the Irish Government in the consideration of Ireland’s accession to the Antarctic Treaty; - that there has been governmental interest in the accession of Ireland to the Antarctic Treaty and that this continues; - the long association of Ireland with the exploration of the polar regions, especially the Irish contributions to the Heroic Age of exploration of the Antarctic, through people such as Shackleton, Bransfield, Cre…

I welcome the Minister for Foreign Affairs to the Chamber. The motion is a detailed one. The last couple of lines urge the Government to commit to taking all necessary steps to accede to the Antarctic Treaty as soon as possible. The ongoing pandemic has reminded us of the primacy of science in providing solutions to potentially overwhelming problems. Science, be it identifying and analysing the facts or conceiving novel solutions, rises above opinion and behaviours to develop a meaningful way forward. The Internati…

Yes. To return to the motion, Shackleton is the second thing. Horse racing, St. Brigid and-----

We are spoiled for choice in Kildare. St. Brigid, horse racing and Shackleton have huge untapped tourism potential for our county.

Ernest Shackleton's name and reputation go before him. I will hand over soon to my Green Party colleague. Ernest Shackleton died in January 1922. He is buried in the whalers' cemetery on the Antarctic island of South Georgia. It would be most appropriate that we mark the centenary of his death by building on his pioneering Antarctic work by acceding to the Antarctic Treaty. If the Government were to do this, there are strict guidelines on where the treaties are deposited, but we could have a ceremonial signing of t…

The big question for the Minister is if he is up for this. Will he give us a signal today because there is a lot of goodwill in the room, as there has been for decades? We have now formally tabled it as a motion. I look forward to the Minister's contribution and to his assessment of where we stand and exactly what he can do as Minister for Foreign Affairs to get this over the line, which is the bottom line. We want to take our place among the great nations of the world. Ireland is a leader. This is all good. It is …

I again thank the Minister for his attendance. It is testament to how seriously he takes this matter. I would like to comment favourably on some of the Minister's comments. The Minister said that he welcomes this motion, that he is positively disposed to it and personally committed. Credit where credit is due, he has also put a timeframe on matters and said that he is happy and willing to return to the Upper House. On behalf of the many Senators involved in this cross-party initiative, I thank the Minister. It is a…

I welcome the Minister of State and thank her for outlining in succinct terms the impact and import of the proposed legislation before the Upper House. It is proper that the House would sit today. Never should a Government or a Minister be given a free pass or a blank cheque to implement measures that are, with respect but in reality, draconian. The measures, by their very nature, are draconian. The question we must ask is whether they are appropriate and would pass the proportionality test. This legislation affect…

The Green party, an Comhaontas Glas, is very pleased to support this motion before the House. We commend all movers and sponsors of the motion, including Senator McDowell and all associated with it. It strikes a unified chord in this House. In doing so, I am conscious of the hundreds of thousands of Chinese tourists we have welcomed to this country every year, the very active education tourism, and the growing number of Chinese people who make their home in this country of a thousand welcomes. The complete and star…

I commend Into Kildare, the main tourism body in Kildare, which ran a fantastic conference last week in the stunningly beautiful Kilkea Castle. It was a celebration of the resilience and ambition of people and stakeholders in Kildare. I hope that other counties have such fantastic local bodies on the ground. Something that we in Kildare are keeping a close eye on is the prospect of a bank holiday on St. Brigid's Day. It would give an uplift to the county of Kildare in particular. All public representatives support …

The Minister of State is very welcome to the House. "These things we do that others may live." "That others may live" is the closing line in the para rescue creed. This creed has been adopted as a motto by many search and rescue organisations around the world. I wish to start my contribution on behalf of the Green Party - An Comhaontas Glas by commending all those in the Coast Guard and all services who risk their lives daily in order that others may live. We remember and commend the bravery of Captain Dara Fitzpat…

It would be a safer way forward. If that could be the outcome of this, it would give some comfort in terms of this awful tragedy. The mission of Rescue 116 on that night was to provide top cover for another helicopter that had been tasked with airlifting a casualty from a fishing vessel. Traditionally, top cover missions have been provided by long range aeroplanes that have greater endurance than rescue helicopters. The role of top cover aircraft is critically dependent on it having significantly greater endurance …

On behalf of the Green Party, An Comhaontas Glas, we closely associate ourselves with the remarks of the Cathaoirleach and previous speakers in conveying our deepest sympathy to Senator Currie and her family on the sad passing of Austin Currie. Austin was a fearless voice and an advocate of equality. Articulating those views at that time meant putting one's life in peril. It is only a short few decades ago, but it is worth noting that he was not silenced nor were others in the SDLP, despite coming under attack from…

Recent reports of serious antisocial and unruly behaviour on the State's public transport services are a cause of serious alarm. The State provides these transport services and so it has a responsibility to protect all passengers. The State needs to not only protect people but to incentivise them to avail of public transport because that is intrinsic to this country reaching its climate targets. That cannot be done without a multi-sectoral approach. We need great collaboration from the different sectors. At the hea…

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. Previous speakers have said that this is a positive legislative initiative. I would add that it is an essential initiative. It stems from the case of Mr. Ellis, who entered a guilty plea in the Circuit Criminal Court. The trial judge at the time, Judge Ring, suspended one of the counts relating to a five-year sentence. It is worth noting that Mr. Ellis came before the court with 26 previous convictions. That is commonplace in the criminal legal system. The scourge and c…

I propose an amendment to the Order of Business that No. 19 be taken before No. 1. At the appropriate time I will formally move that request. No. 19 is the introduction of my legislation, the Protection of the Irish Native Honey Bee Bill 2021. Ireland is fortunate to have a pure population of its own native honey bees, which is perfectly adapted to this island, climate and flora. However, it is coming under sustained, ongoing and serious threat from the importation of non-native honey bees. They are less frugal, mo…

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to ban the importation of non-native honey bees with the aim of reducing the threat to and adverse impact upon biodiversity and the ecosystem arising from the introgression/crossing/cross-breeding of the native Irish Honey Bee, Apis mellifera mellifera , due to the importation of non-native species or sub-species of and/or strains derived from Apis mellifera and to provide for the appointment of authorised officers; to make it an offence to forge an …

Next Tuesday.

On behalf of the Green Party, Comhaontas Glas, I confirm the party's support for this motion. A previous contributor commented that where crime should be, the State should be. That may be the case but it is often a reaction rather than being proactive. It is easy for me to say from the Seanad Chamber but if at all possible we must get ahead of the criminals who are so sophisticated in their lust for greed. Human life means nothing to them. I also agree with the comments that this Chamber has great potential to devo…