I second the amendment.

On International Women's Day, we celebrate the strength, resilience and leadership of women across Ireland. Today, I want to focus primarily on women in rural areas. As the only female Oireachtas Member living in the county of Limerick and not the city, I am proud to stand and carry the voices of the women who live in rural areas of Ireland. They often feel as though they are undervalued and sometimes invisible. These women in rural areas are farmers, fishers, carers, entrepreneurs, teachers, healthcare workers and…

I welcome the publication of the Government's Accelerating Infrastructure Report and Action Plan. It is important that the Government has finally acknowledged what communities across this country have known for years, namely that the delays in delivering water, energy and transport infrastructure are structural constraints on housing, economic growth and balanced regional development. While that acknowledgement is welcome, it is long overdue. The motion recognises that Ireland is investing unprecedented levels of c…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Bill. As the Minister of State acknowledged, the primary purpose of the legislation is to facilitate Ireland's opting into the EU asylum and migration pact. Let us be clear: we did not have to opt into this. Under Protocol No. 21, we had the ability to opt out. That safeguard exists precisely because of our unique circumstances, yet Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael chose to discard that flexibility and sign up wholesale. Sinn Féin has been consistent. We did not oppose co-operatio…

Students, farmers, renters, people with disabilities, SNAs, pensioners and working families are among some of the groups that have been completely disrespected and left behind by this Government over the past weeks and months. Students see their student fees increased. Farmers are out on the street for Mercosur and Bord Bia. Renters who can afford their rent are looking at a market reset where their rents are going to increase if they change their accommodation after 1 March. People with disabilities are fighting e…

I second Senator Andrews's amendment to the Order of Business regarding his Bill. I am going to bring up an issue I have brought up in this House previously on the Order of Business and through Commencement matters about the loss of jobs in Abbeyfeale at the Kostal plant. We are looking at 140 job losses. My issue is the lack of investment in our rural towns and villages. We are constantly seeing Ministers and councillors who all delight in taking pictures when a job is created, but we do not seem to see them very …

I move amendment No. 3: In page 13, between lines 23 and 24, to insert the following: “(4) The Minister shall cause a copy of any order made under subsection (1) to be laid before each House of the Oireachtas as soon as may be after it is made, and the order shall lapse 6 months after the date it is made unless earlier revoked or expressly continued by a resolution of both Houses.”. I am going to be quick and give a synopsis of each amendment as they have been grouped. They are about oversight. Clear language is wh…

I thank the Minister of State.

No. I am happy.

I move amendment No. 4: In page 14, between lines 18 and 19, to insert the following: “(d) publish a notice of the request for an exemption, accompanied by the information provided under subsection (1), on a website maintained by it or on its behalf and in a national newspaper, inviting submissions from the public within a period of not less than 30 days, (e) consider all submissions or observations received under paragraph (d) and publish a reasoned report addressing the material issues raised.”.

I move amendment No. 5: In page 14, between lines 18 and 19, to insert the following: “(4A) In this section, ‘exceptional circumstances’ means circumstances that— (a) arise from a unique and unforeseeable event, or a specific and demonstrable public necessity, (b) cannot reasonably be addressed by compliance with the requirements of the EIA Directive within the timeframe necessary to avert serious risk to human health, safety, the environment or essential public services, and (c) are strictly limited in scope, dura…

I move amendment No. 6: In page 14, to delete lines 31 to 34 and substitute the following: “(b) publish, prior to deciding the application to which the exemption relates, a notice of the exemption, any requirements referred to in paragraph (a), a summary of public and authority submissions, and the Agency’s reasoned conclusions on the main issues raised— (i) on a website maintained by it or on its behalf, and (ii) in a national newspaper,”.

I move amendment No. 7: In page 15, between lines 4 and 5, to insert the following: “(d) ensure that information published under this section is accessible, written in plain language, and includes non-technical summaries of likely significant effects and mitigation measures.”.

I move amendment No. 8: In page 16, between lines 31 and 32, to insert the following: “(4) An order under subsection (1) shall specify a maximum duration and shall be strictly limited to what is necessary, and shall be laid before each House of the Oireachtas in accordance with section 88C.”.

I move amendment No. 12: In page 19, between lines 15 and 16, to insert the following: “(4) The Minister may by regulations prescribe periods under subsection (2), having consulted the Agency, and may prescribe different periods for different classes of activity. (5) The Agency shall include in its annual report under section 51(3) the number of cases in which the period under this section was exceeded, the reasons, and corrective actions taken.”.”.

I move amendment No. 15: In page 23, between lines 19 and 20, to insert the following: “(d) publish a notice of the request for an exemption, accompanied by the information provided under subsection (1), on a website maintained by it or on its behalf and in a national newspaper, inviting submissions from the public within a period of not less than 30 days, and (e) consider all submissions or observations received under paragraph (d) and publish a reasoned report addressing the material issues raised.”

I move amendment No. 16: In page 23, between lines 31 and 32, to insert the following: “(4A) In this section, ‘exceptional circumstances’ means circumstances that— (a) arise from a unique and unforeseeable event, or a specific and demonstrable public necessity, (b) cannot reasonably be addressed by compliance with the requirements of the EIA Directive within the timeframe necessary to avert serious risk to human health, safety, the environment or essential public services, and (c) are strictly limited in scope, dur…

I move amendment No. 17: In page 24, to delete lines 4 to 7 and substitute the following: “(b) publish, prior to deciding the application to which the exemption relates, a notice of the exemption, any requirements referred to in paragraph (a), a summary of public and authority submissions, and the Agency’s reasoned conclusions on the main issues raised— (i) on a website maintained by it or on its behalf, and (ii) in a national newspaper,”.

I move amendment No. 18: In page 24, between lines 16 and 17, to insert the following: “(d) ensure that information published under this section is accessible, written in plain language, and includes non-technical summaries of likely significant effects and mitigation measures.”.

I move amendment No. 19: In page 26, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following: “(4) The Minister shall cause a copy of any order made under subsection (1) to be laid before each House of the Oireachtas as soon as may be after it is made, and the order shall lapse 6 months after the date it is made unless earlier revoked or expressly continued by a resolution of both Houses.”