I will speak to amendments Nos. 20 and 22, which are grouped with amendment No. 2. Amendment No. 20 requires the publication of the national aviation policy that supports regional balance, strengthens regional airports and adopts the all-island approach. I understand what Senator Scahill said to the effect that it is not one above the other. I get that, but would it not be great, on the back of this, when we are talking about Dublin Airport, to have a report to show what we are doing for regional airports? I am all…

I move amendment No. 3: In page 8, between lines 27 and 28, to insert the following: “(4) The Minister shall, not later than 12 months following commencement, lay before both Houses of the Oireachtas a report reviewing daa’s compliance with the directions of the Minister.”. Amendment No. 3 is basically a review of compliance being held up by the DAA. It is really just monitoring again. The amendment introduces a simple measure of accountability. Where the Minister is given powers to direct the DAA, it is entirely r…

Yes.

I move amendment No. 4: In page 8, between lines 27 and 28, to insert the following: “Community engagement obligations 7. (1) The Minister direct the daa to establish a formal mechanism for ongoing and meaningful engagement with local communities affected by airport operations, including those impacted by the north runway. (2) The Minister shall open a public consultation concerning daa’s engagement with local communities and lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas no later than 12 months following commen…

I move amendment No. 8: In page 23, after line 34, to insert the following: " Review of compensation buyout scheme 24 . The Minister shall, within 9 months following commencement of this Act, conduct an independent assessment of the daa’s noise mitigation schemes, including insulation and voluntary buyout schemes. The assessment shall evaluate whether: (a) valuation reflects current market prices; (b) compensation includes disturbance and reinstatement costs; (c) there is transparency and fairness in eligibility cr…

I move amendment No. 13: In page 26, between lines 21 and 22, to insert the following: “(14) The Minister’s power under this Act shall be limited solely to the amendment or revocation of a planning condition relating to the maximum number of passengers permitted to use Dublin Airport annually, and shall not extend to any other planning condition. (15) The Minister shall, not later than 12 months following commencement, lay before the houses of the Oireachtas a report reviewing the exercise of this power. This amend…

I know we only have another week before recess. I ask that, when we come back in the autumn, we add to the agenda something about Garda numbers, particularly in rural areas. I refer especially to roads policing and community gardaí. Last Thursday, I received a phone call from a constituent in County Limerick who had been in a car accident. She was okay. There was not a huge amount of damage done. Like myself, she had always been told to stay at the scene of the accident and not to leave. When she rang An Garda Síoc…

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. Energy security is one of the most fundamental responsibilities of any government and people rightly expect, when they turn on the lights or when they open the doors of their businesses, that the electricity will be there for them. Unfortunately, that confidence has been undermined for years and it is down to Government failure. We find ourselves debating legislation because of successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Governments that have failed to properly plan for Irelan…

I move amendment No. 1: In page 16, after line 20, to insert the following: “Review of Act and of smoking cessation supports 21. (1) The Minister shall, within 18 months of the passing of this Act, conduct a review, to be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas within 24 months of the passing of this Act, to— (a) examine the operation and effectiveness of this Act, (b) examine more broadly the effectiveness of public health laws and cessation supports relating to tobacco and nicotine products, and (c) recommend me…

It is great that enforcement is mentioned in the Bill but we need to do more than simply having it in the Bill on its own without having staff to enforce the legislation. The reason I say that is because I have spoken to representatives of The Sunbed Council of Ireland who have told me about scenarios. They told me about one or two incidents where they were in salons and saw underage people going in to use sunbeds but when they reported it they were told, "Yes, we kind of know that goes on sometimes but we do not h…

I genuinely fear that we are facing into a winter of discontent due to the increase and the plans this Government has put forward. The decision to restore fuel excise duty increases from September onwards may be insignificant around the Cabinet table, but it is very significant in the parts of the country I represent and for the people I represent, the workers commuting every day, the parents dropping their children to school, families travelling to hospital appointments or just in general for people living in rura…

We never did.

No, I said they did not get anything from the €50 million package. You just heard it wrong.

I did not.

I second the amendment.

I welcome the Minister of State. As has been said, we are an island nation and depend on connectivity. Aviation in this country is not a luxury but an essential part of the Irish economy, tourism sector, exporters, diaspora and our ability to attract investment. We cannot pretend otherwise. That is why Sinn Féin agrees that the current 32 million passenger cap at Dublin Airport is no longer fit for purpose. The cap was introduced many years ago as a planning condition linked to the construction of terminal 2 and wa…

If the Government wants public confidence in this legislation then meaningful engagement with local residents cannot be optional and must be built into the legislation. That is why Sinn Féin will bring forward amendments that require meaningful consultation with local community groups, and the strengthening of community mitigation and compensation measures. Second, the Bill raises important questions about ministerial powers. While we recognise that the Government needs a mechanism to address an outdated passenger …

Many of us often raise issues with and concerns about our health system. I for one do not have high expectations when it comes to certain areas in health. We raise concerns, whether it is about cancer care or medications for rare diseases. Last Thursday, I had first-hand experience of the health system. On my way back from Dublin, my dad rang me and said he was not feeling great, his blood pressure had been over 220 all day and he needed to ring an ambulance. I told him I was still on the road and would not get to …

Nobody disputes that when families or businesses lose power through no fault of their own they deserve fair treatment. If people are left without electricity for hours or even days, particularly following severe weather events, they should not be expected to pay standing charges for a service that they cannot use. While there is merit in ensuring consumers are compensated during outages, we must also be honest with people. Refunding a standing charge for a period without power is a very small measure in the context…

In response to Senator Mullen, I for one am delighted to see that the legislation might pass and the three-day rule might stop because I do not know of any man who walks into a doctor’s surgery and is told to go home and think about it for three days. Yes, there is strain and mental stress for women on both sides: women who may have had an abortion and maybe were not 100% swayed that way and maybe regretted it afterwards, but also women sent home for three days, with the stress on their bodies that involves, who ar…