I welcome Deputy Ivana Bacik and her guests to the Public Gallery. I hope they enjoy their stay.

A narrative has emerged that those who want checks and balances on climate, environment and nature have some sort of a degrowth agenda. Certainly that could not be further from the truth. Section 7 of this Bill represents a fundamental attack on the provision of the climate action Act that was passed in the Dáil in 2021 with the support of 129 Members of the Dáil at that time. Five years later, the Critical Infrastructure Bill means that any proposal that is designated as critical infrastructure will no longer have…

The Minister cannot unpick the climate Act.

Hear, hear. Well said.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire and I thank Senator Boyhan for tabling this motion. I want to mention some women farmers in Ireland. One of the most notable, and formerly of this House, and a former ministerial colleague of the Minister in his Department and former Minister of State, is Pippa Hackett.

Pippa Hackett is back farming and heading up an European Innovation Partnership, EIP, programme. She is a fantastic woman ambassador for women in farming more generally and I want to acknowledge her work. I think of the work of Hannah Quinn-Mulligan, who is a fantastic advocate for women farmers. In my own constituency, there are Gail and Bryan Daniels in County Kilkenny who have a derogation farm - an intensive dairy farm - but do amazing work for water quality, biodiversity and climate. The Minister might have me…

I join others in extending my sympathy to the family of Yves Sakila and to the Congolese community in Ireland. The capture of the global flotilla by the Israel Defense Forces, IDF, represents a violation of international treaties. I join others in this House in calling on Government to more. The sister of Uachtarán na hÉireann is one of those who has been caught up in this incident. All the while, the Israeli Administration continues to murder children and continues to allow settler violence to perpetrate throughou…

It is important that Seanadóirí are informed if the line Minister cannot attend.

The Cross-Party Group is not opposed to trade. We believe in and know what free trade has done for Ireland from the Lemass era right to the present day. It has to be as much about fair trade as it is about free trade, however. In a small open economy like Ireland's, this geopolitical reality that we are facing today is particularly alarming. We are opposed to this Bill and the measures in it, and the challenges it is going to present in terms of society, workers' rights and the environment. As has been said, it is …

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Higgins.

I move: “That Seanad Éireann: recognises: - the need for the Government to respond to the ‘Whole of Government, Whole of Society’ approach adopted in the fourth National Biodiversity Action Plan and upcoming National Nature Restoration Plan by ensuring that verifiable and proven measures to maintain healthy wildlife populations are given due support; - the threats and pressures facing wildlife in Ireland due to development, loss of habitat, pollution and road collisions; - the valuable work carried out by wildlife …

I also welcome our Cork Minister of State. Táimid i ngéarchéim bhithéagsúlachta. Tá a fhios againn go bhfuil jab le déanamh againn uile chun cabhrú leis an dúlra agus leis an bhfiadhúlra nuair is féidir linn. Déanann ár n-ionaid tarrthála fiadhúlra ar fud na hÉireann obair iontach ag cabhrú leis an dúlra agus leis an bhfiadhúlra nuair is féidir linn. Wildlife rehabilitators in Ireland play a vital role in biodiversity conservation and public service delivery. Last year, rehabilitation centres admitted approximately…

I thank my Cross-Party Group colleagues. I welcome the Minister of State's response. It behoves all of us, going by what the Cathaoirleach said, to make changes in all our lives to help to minimise our impact on the natural world and become active participants in restoration, because in restoring nature, we are restoring ourselves, our wellbeing, our food security, and our resilience against climate chaos. There remains a deep disconnect between our understanding of what we need to do and our behaviour as consumers…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. The programme for Government, published in January 2025, contains a commitment to provide investment in sorting technology in Ireland's material recovery facility, MRF, network. This is a really positive commitment in the programme for Government, but in the time since the programme's publication, no progress has been made. I hope the Minister of State can update the House on progress on this commitment. The recently published Whole of Government Circular Economy Strategy 2026-202…

I welcome the point the Minister of State made on how the commitment will be met, because it is a programme for Government commitment. I appreciate that, as he stated, the role of the Department and Government is largely in setting policy. However, this is a programme for Government commitment, so it is criticat to give certainty to the sector that this commitment is met and that a timeline is laid out for that. The packaging and packaging waste regulation, PPWR, as I mentioned, was adopted by the European Parliame…

I want to be associated with the comments in relation to our colleague and friend, Senator Eileen Flynn. What she has gone through is appalling. It behoves us all to be there with her and stand with her, and to challenge the social media companies, in particular. I want to reference two specific items. Today is world curlew day. We have seen some positive results in County Monaghan from the head starting programme, which was run by Breeding Waders EIP, led by Mr. Owen Murphy, down on Lough Ree. This is a collaborat…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. I just want to add to the points made by my colleague. The shock that has been reverberating around the world has to be the wake-up call for our agricultural system. It gives us the opportunity to look at changes in models of agriculture in Ireland and in particular to look at regenerative agriculture such as using less chemical fertiliser inputs. Among the farms down in my part of the country is the Daniels' farm that uses a lot less nitrogen-based fertilisers and that is a profitable …

I thank the Minister of State for going off-script and giving such a personalised response.

I again thank the Minister of State for giving such an empathetic response.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, Deputy Moynihan.