Malcolm Noonan
Agricultural Panel · Green Party · Ireland
“Before I invite Senator Stephenson back in, I welcome members of the Young Entrepreneurs Club to the Gallery. They are guests of the Minister, Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill. Cuirim fáilte romhaibh go léir.”
“Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. I again commend Senator Black, who has been campaigning on this issue for a very long time. It is disappointing that we are here this evening without services included despite the very detailed recommendations of the Oireachtas joint committee, the views of many legal experts and the clear legal opinion of the…”
“I am surprised that the Government is presenting us with a Bill that excludes services. The Government used to tell us that it was for legal reasons.”
“In fairness, it has become even clearer from the remarks made by the Government in recent days that fear of the Trump Administration is driving the decision, with illogical arguments that the Trump Administration might just tolerate a Bill that bans goods but if were to bring forward a Bill that covered goods and services, it would someho…”
“I join with my colleagues in our outright condemnation of this approach by the Government in relation to this legislation. The Government is going to be the lead negotiator on behalf of the European Union at both the climate Conference of the Parties, COP, and the biodiversity COP later this year.”
“The rural housing policy was launched last week. We have had the closure of the public consultation on the nature restoration plan. Lo and behold, the long-awaited phase 2 of the land-use review was published two days after both of those policies. This document has huge implications for land use in Ireland.”
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“Last week saw the publication of the periodic Article 17 report on the status of habitats and species in Ireland. It is done in six-year cycles of reporting. Since the 2019 report, unfortunately, things have deteriorated quite dramatically in terms of our habitats. There is some better news for many species but what is critical from the Government's perspective is that the funding that was been put into the National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, over the last five-year cycle needs to continue. There are significant challenges throughout the country, let alone the fact that Ireland will have to embark on a national nature restoration plan and the demands that entails. Separately, €650 million of the climate and nature fund was allocated to nature restoration, but it has gone into metro north. That is most unfortunate.”
“Féach ar an mBreatain Bheag. The ambition there is to go ó 23% go 40% faoi 2050. Sa Stát seo, áfach, tá sé thart ar 6%. The ambition needs to be there, as I said. Young people in particular feel inspired. We might call it the “Kneecap effect” but, whatever it is, we need to seize that momentum and work with it. I am fortunate that our children are being educated through Irish in Gaelscoileanna agus Gaelcholáistí i gCill Chainnigh but, as parents, we would all like to have that opportunity as well. It is about having a whole-of-system, whole-of-society and whole-of-government approach to this. We would welcome that level of ambition being met through these two policy documents but also right across the Government to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to learn and celebrate this wonderful language of ours.”
“Tá plean ag Rialtas na Breataine Bige céatadán na ndaltaí i scoileanna Breatnaise a mhéadú ó 23% go 40% faoi 2050. Tá uaillmhian ag an Rialtas ansin an aidhm sin a bhaint amach. There are many lessons for all of us to take from the recent presidential election, but one aspect that struck me strongly was the ról lárnach agus dearfach a bhí ag an nGaeilge sa toghchán sin. The Minister of State can afford to be brave and ambitious. If he does drive on, he will find that there are many people ready to come with him.”
“Dar le Conradh na Gaeilge, ba chóir go mbunófar coiste saineolaíoch láithreach bonn leis an gcóras nua seo a fhorbairt. Faraor, níl na spriocanna seo san áireamh sa phlean gnímh nua. The expertise is there. At this point, we just need to get on with it. What is sadly lacking here is a vision for real ambition. For any roadmap to be useful we have to begin with the destination in mind. Breis agus 100 bliain ó bunaíodh an Stát, níl ach 6% de dhaltaí ag fáil a gcuid oideachais trí Ghaeilge. Níl aon sprioc intomhaiste ná uaillmhianach leagtha amach chun líon na ndaltaí i scoileanna Gaeilge a mhéadú go suntasach. If we want to see what real ambition looks like, we need to only look over the water to Wales. Mar a dúirt uachtarán Chonradh na Gaeilge, Ciarán Mac Giolla Bhéin, is mór an difear idir é seo agus cás na Breataine Bige.”
“Teachers need a support system from Government that matches their commitment. Second, and connected, is the issue of aligning the Irish-language curriculum to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, CEFR. This approach would bring much-needed flexibility in terms of tailoring learning objectives to students with special needs and students who arrive late to our education system and to help address the issue of exemptions within the system. I would argue that this is important not just to the leaving certificate but also to embed it as a basis for lifelong learning, for setting out the pathway for those many people who, like me, would like to return to the language in later life. The commitment contained in the programme for Government is repeated here but the language is vague and non-committal.”
“The action plan for Irish in English-medium schools notes: The language proficiency and pedagogical skill of the teacher, together with the willingness to use the language, are key factors in effective language teaching and the promotion of language use among learners. It goes on to acknowledge that: Teachers and school leaders, particularly at primary level, frequently highlighted the confidence and proficiency of teachers and student teachers in Irish as a key area of concern. The INTO, in its statement on the publication of these documents, emphasised that: ... the vast majority of primary teachers are committed to the Irish language. ... The issue is not the passion or willingness but a sustained lack of Departmental support to enable teachers to realise their ambition to improve their own Irish language skills.”
“They are looking to us for real ambition and for genuine and sustained support for the Irish language in our education system. I am not at all sure if they will find that in these documents. To be straight and honest, I found them both to be toothless. There are plenty of laudable ideas, many of which I would support, but no timelines, n concrete metrics or deliverables and no great accountability. Tá an plean agus polasaí seo mantach agus gan amlínte, spriocanna intomhaiste ná mórán freagrachtaí. I will focus on three key areas. First is around teacher competency in the Irish language.”
“The Department of education recently published two sister documents outlining the Government's vision for the future of Irish-language education in our schools. The action plan for Irish in English-medium schools, plean gnímh don Ghaeilge i scoileanna meán-Bhéarla, and the policy for Irish-medium education outside the Gaeltacht, Polasaí don Oideachas Lán Ghaeilge lasmuigh den Ghaeltacht. If I said these documents were met with disappointment in both education and Irish-language circles, that would imply they had been expecting something better and more concrete. However, I would not say that they were met with resignation because there is a determination within these communities to seize upon a momentum and the groundswell of popular support that we are seeing, go háirithe i measc daoine óga, for our native language.”
“I ask the Minister of State to give some consideration to shortening the period involved somewhat. We have another task force kicking the can down the road yet again at a time when these reforms are urgently needed. Local government is the sleeping giant of Irish democracy. It has immense potential for transformative change. Our councillors are at the heart of that. They need to be supported in a meaningful way. That is something all of us in this Chamber agree on. I hope the Minister of State will give active consideration to that and will look at the changing role of councillors and at what they need in order to be able to carry out their work effectively.”
“The broader urban agenda is why the concerted effort around urban development is important. The EU role, directly elected mayors and the widening roles in respect of climate and nature all put a huge legislative burden on councillors that this administrative support would go a long way towards helping to alleviate. It would ensure that they make more informed decisions in council chambers, that they are up to speed on the legalities of all the decisions they make and that we have greater transparency in local government. All these things are extremely important to all of us here, as they are to Councillor Malone and his 900-odd colleagues around the country. I fully support the Bill. I am disappointed that we have yet another timed amendment.”
“People take those chances because they believe in what they are doing in representing their local communities. I looked at the reform that took place in 2014. Unfortunately, Phil Hogan's reforms tore the heart out of local government. Councillor Malone and I were members of a borough council. There was a borough council in Clonmel. There were five boroughs. The Taoiseach has been talking about a pilot reinstatement of borough and town councils. Let us look at the representation with the ratio of councillors to population since those reforms in 2014. It simply is not sustainable that councillors have to represent such a large proportion of the population. That needs to be looked at in its entirety and the borough and town councils need to be reinstated in time for the 2029 local elections. That is hugely important.”
“Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. Like other Members, I started my political career in local government. I spent 16 years on Kilkenny County Council. It was not always easy being the only Green in the village. I served quite a bit of that time with Councillor Joe Malone, who is one of the hardest-working councillors in the country. The work he does in LAMA, on top of his day-to-day council work, is a great credit to him. Like other Members, I acknowledge the reforms that have taken place. I spent a lot of my Saturday nights with a baby on one knee and a laptop on the other, responding to emails. It was hugely challenging, both financially and for my family. Huge sacrifices were made trying to survive politically and to try to survive financially as a family.”
“These are vital services for these children who can go on to live full, productive and happy lives in the workforce if this support is given at a critical early stage. Unfortunately, it is all down to the Down Syndrome Ireland groups across the country, largely. Many of them are exhausted from the work they have to do and from voluntarily raising funds to pay for speech and language services that should be provided by the State. There are black spots across the country. The south east, where there is a huge lack of services, is particularly bad. I ask the Minister, Deputy Foley, to address this issue as a matter of urgency.”
“There are other causes too, but farmers need to be supported and led into a scenario where there could be long-term payments for delivering co-benefits for water quality, nature and climate. We will head into this cycle again in two years, on this Government's watch, and we will be in that derogation panic again. It is important for the Minister to come in here to explain what his plan is over the very short period of the derogation. I also want to raise the work of Down Syndrome Ireland. I attended an event with Down Syndrome Kilkenny and the support groups and families. Many family members were looking very tired after looking after their children over the past year. Many of them have to voluntarily raise funds for speech and language services.”
“Following up on the issue of the nitrates derogation, it would be useful to have the Minister, Deputy Heydon, in here at some point. He is claiming a victory on this but it is a pyrrhic victory in many ways. We have three years now to look at the alternatives and at what the future is for the derogation in Ireland. Could it be the unthinkable, a future without derogation? What might that look like? It might look like a regenerative model of agriculture that takes into account significant changes in our climate over many years and the fact our water quality is not improving. Regardless of what is being said, it is not improving and agriculture is partially responsible.”
“Perhaps a brand-new piece of legislation is required to govern the Shannon catchment and we need a plan in place to manage it for nature, communities and farmers.”
“Alarm bells rang, particularly when I saw the issue of dredging. I ask for the Department to give an update as to when it will begin the process of reviewing the Arterial Drainage Act, a key commitment in the 2024 water action plan. The Shannon, as a major European river, deserves better and to be treated as the important river that it is. It deserves a collaborative catchment plan that works for nature, people and communities. The CFRAM study is the basis for integrated catchment planning and the Shannon flood risk group, chaired by the OPW, leads the multi-agency approach. That is an important approach. We need not to look at this by tampering with a piecemeal approach to 90-year-old legislation.”
“Despite being constructed long before a Natura environmental impact assessment, EIA, it should not be exempt from such processes. Predating the legislation should not exempt it. On 24 November, Mr. O'Connor reported that the ESB was abstracting water from the Parteen regulating weir and diverting it to the hydroelectric station, and that this practice has serious environmental consequence for fish passage because it attracts fish out of the main river channel. This practice and repair works to the 100-year-old concrete dams are taking place without environmental assessment. Case C-204/2024 of the European Court of Justice found that Ireland had not correctly implemented the legal obligations that should apply to the Shannon scheme. This Bill proposes potentially more ecological damage to the integrity of the catchment.”
“While the ESB has over the past 30 years tried to improve fish passage at Parteen Weir, funds the moving of eels from Lough Ree further downstream of Ardnacrusha and runs a salmon hatchery, it is still not enough to help these critically endangered species, which are under multiple threats. I share the concerns of Salmon Watch Ireland regarding the water abstraction project by Uisce Éireann. This Bill could further add to the problems for many species and I am not convinced it will help landowners either. The corncrake has long since gone from Shannon Callows, with the last breeding pair recorded in 2014. Mr. Will O'Connor of Ecofact has put forward solutions that could benefit from the barrier mitigation programme, which is funded by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.”
“We must recognise the need to build in climate modelling, the needs of the breeding waders on Lough Ree, overwintering wild foul on the flood plains and other sites, and migrating fish, as well as farmers and landowners. We need to take the opportunity to restore the catchment and estuary and to reward landowners for being a part of the solution. As has been stated, it is time to consider the decommissioning of the Ardnacrusha power plant. It has served our country well but now produces a tiny proportion of the State's electricity needs. I know a figure of 2% has been put out. It is probably less than that. It is perhaps as low as 0.1%. It could be wound down and put forward for UNESCO world heritage status, as a marvel of industrial engineering at the time. It is important to put this question.”
“While Ardnacrusha was at the time the biggest infrastructural project in the world, and provided for many decades for most of the country's electricity needs, thereby revolutionising and transforming the country, I agree with a previous contributor that it is perhaps time to look at it again and consider the issues it has caused, in particular the ecological damage for migrating fish, most notably eels, lamprey and salmon. The proposed Bill, if enacted, could add further to that ecological damage. I recognise the huge challenges presented to farmers by summer flooding on the Shannon Callows. I believe that a collaborative source-to-sea plan for the catchment, its lakes and tributaries, can be found if the Government chooses to lead on the issue through the water action plan and the national nature restoration plan.”
“Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. Ní féidir liom tacú leis an mBille seo. I absolutely acknowledge the intent behind it. It has been introduced by my good friend and colleague. However, I cannot support it. As has been said, the very fact that we are debating an amendment to a 90-year-old Act governing Ardnacrusha speaks volumes about the urgent need to develop a whole system plan for the Shannon catchment. The Shannon is one of Europe's most significant Natura 2000 river systems and deserves to be treated as such. Since the foundation of the State, it has been altered, exploited and modified, and will soon be drawn on to provide water for the greater Dublin area.”
“Although the Bill was put on a timed amendment by the Government, the measures in the Bill were accepted in the sense of changing the vacant sites levy to a vacant sites tax to be collected by Revenue, which is welcomed, and the extension of the living cities initiative. Much broader brushstrokes are required to save our town centres. I certainly do not believe that the cut in the VAT rate for hospitality will do much for the smaller ones. Our proposal would have cost less than half of what Government has proposed here and been much more targeted to the businesses that actually need it.”
“The Green Party will not be supporting this Bill either. On the point made by my comrade about the VAT rate for hospitality, there has been widespread criticism of this proposal. What the Green Party proposed in our pre-budget submission was a capped VAT and rates refund for small businesses. This is a blanket reduction from 13.5% to 9% that will support the big chains and do little to help the struggling high street. Our high streets are in trouble. I welcome some of the measures in this budget, especially a Bill that the cross-party group brought earlier this year around tackling vacancy and dereliction.”
“I know the Minister of State was just handed the response, so she did really well. I note that this is the second time this has happened on my watch with a Department of Health matter. I call the Senator to respond.”
“Many countries have already signed up to it as have many municipalities, including Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, by way of a resolution of members. That would be a first signal of intent by the Irish Government and would show leadership at EU level among other member states. I would welcome the opportunity to have a debate in this House in the new year on the outcome of the Belém talks. We seem to be careering towards disaster, with many tipping points already being reached. We are seeing the climate catastrophe unfold right around the world on a daily basis. It is critically important that Ireland steps up now in the wake of the very poor outcome of COP30. We must look towards COP31 and show the leadership that we have been good at in so many other facets of foreign policy.”
“The EU, unfortunately, in the first week of the COP did not play a great leadership role but it certainly stepped up in the latter end of the negotiations. The Irish Government takes up the Presidency of the EU in the latter half of 2026. It is imperative that we start working collaboratively with our EU colleagues now because we will be leading the negotiations at COP31 and at the biodiversity COP. It is critically important that we show leadership. Our Taoiseach and the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, both went out and made really lofty and very well-meaning speeches at Belém but, unfortunately, their words do not match their actions here in Ireland. It is critically important that we show leadership and that could start with Ireland ceding to the fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty.”
“Delegates headed to the airport in Belém at the weekend after the COP30 negotiations with very little to show for it, unfortunately. We know that the COP process is the only game in town in terms of multilateral agreements and reaching consensus-based decisions on something as significant as climate. While some commitments were made in terms of funding climate adaptation in small island developing states and developing countries, it still fell well short of what was required. A last-minute scramble by the Brazilian hosts to try to salvage something from the talks did lead to some agreement, it was a very watered-down version of what should have been there. Two previous COPs had mentioned and discussed the phasing out of fossil fuels and this has been the main bone of contention.”
“Called "Born That Way", it was made by Éamon Little, with the support of the Irish Film Board, and is about the life of the late Patrick Lydon. Patrick was a groundbreaking person who worked for social inclusion and environmental sustainability through Camphill Communities in Ballytobin and Callan in County Kilkenny. I hope people get a chance to see it. It will probably be screened on television at some point. It is a really wonderful film. Again, it is testament to the creative talent of the sector in Ireland. Lots of productions have been mentioned in this debate. There is something unique in Ireland and this Bill gives credence and tangible support to a sector that is continuing to grow and develop professionally, but also continuing to excel on the world stage.”
“They had trouble in the building they were in with broadband and all of those issues, but they wanted to stay in the heart of Kilkenny city. That is a great testament to what they have done. Looking at other municipalities across Europe, local authorities develop short-term accommodation for people coming into creative sectors, be they in theatre, film or animation. We are looking at the repurposing of buildings and the Government providing funding through THRIVE and other initiatives. There is an opportunity there for local authorities to look at short-stay accommodation for people coming in to work in the creative sector for short periods of time. We should give consideration to that. In the final minute I have, I will speak to a beautiful film that is currently showing in the Irish Film Institute.”
“That idea and notion of supporting this through the South East Technological University, SETU, campuses, both in Carlow and Waterford, and creating an animation hub in the south-east region is something I have spoken to Paul Young, Nora Twomey and Tomm Moore about. The idea would be that Kilkenny and the south-east region could become a national animation hub where there is ongoing professional development and training and a clear pathway for youth animators to come into the sector. I wanted to speak to that and the real economic benefit that both Cartoon Saloon and Lighthouse Studios have brought to Kilkenny. They could have moved up to Dublin where the action is years ago, when things were not great and they were struggling.”
“Lighthouse Studios also has household titles to its name, including "The Bob's Burgers Movie", "Rick and Morty", "Little Ellen" and "The Cuphead Show". People will be interested to know that "Rick and Morty" is produced in Kilkenny. I highlight what these productions have done for Kilkenny and in Kilkenny. A number of Senators have spoken about the regional uplift but, as it pertains to the animation sector, the whole issue of ongoing professional development and training needs to be consideration as well. Out of those two very successful studios has come the Kilkenny Animated festival and there is a lot of new talent coming through the stream.”
“Young Irish Film Makers, founded by Mike Kelly, was the hub of a lot of creativity that emanated from Kilkenny, not just from animation but in the film sector and in production as well. From its founding in those early days, Cartoon Saloon's productions have included its first feature-length film, "The Secret of Kells", and later the "Song of the Sea", "The Breadwinner" and "Wolfwalkers". Three Oscar-nominated films coming from one studio is testament to the success of a very small studio that is now employing, in full production, up to 350 people, along with a sister studio, Lighthouse Studios, that has opened in recent years. In Kilkenny alone, there are over 700 people employed in full production.”
“Like other Members, I fully support this Bill. It is a short amendment but a very important one. I will focus specifically on the animation sector because the vast majority of the Irish animation sector is based in my home town of Kilkenny. I look at the success of Cartoon Saloon, a company that started from very modest beginnings in The Maltings, an old malting house of Smithwick's brewery, about 20 years ago. It was founded by Tomm Moore, Nora Twomey and Paul Young and a number of other very innovative and creative people who came out of Young Irish Film Makers, which again does wonderful work. We talk about supporting young people in that sector as well.”
“As I mentioned, it will also afford the opportunity to look at longitudinal health trends and respond accordingly with health and well-being plans for the wider public. I again thank the Minister of State for delivering that update on behalf of the Minister for Health. I look forward to seeing these proposals being rolled out.”
“I really do welcome that update. It is certainly encouraging to see such progress being made. As I said in my opening remarks, it is critically important for the long-term health and well-being of our society, particularly for babies born after this system is up and running. That they will have the opportunity to have their health records online throughout their lives and having that integrated system that is interoperable between European countries is going to be absolutely vital. I welcome the update. Separately, it is important that Government puts a communication plan in place to communicate to members of the public that this is happening, that it will be transformative, that it will be positive for health outcomes and that it will result in wider societal benefits.”
“A digitised health record would be a win-win for the health system and the health and well-being of children. From a political point of view, a national health record would do wonders and be an important step forward in ensuring the efficiency and robustness of health services. Such a system has been introduced in other jurisdictions and it is timely that Ireland moves on this as a matter of urgency.”
“A new system would also reduce duplication and ensure fewer unnecessary tests, thus saving time, travel and anxiety for families. A new records system would also enhance the continuity of care. It would support preventative care through timely vaccination reminders and developmental milestone tracking for children. It would empower adolescents gradually by giving them access to their own records. It would also build digital literacy in terms of responsibility for health and improve public health data for vaccination rates, disease surveillance and child well-being research. From the Government's perspective, it would give data and provide invaluable data in terms of the longitudinal monitoring of health tracking throughout the population.”
“It would introduce an emergency break-glass feature that would allow access in trauma or critical care situations, with automatic alerts and reviews. This could be implemented in three phases, starting with children under 12, adolescents up to 18, and finally full adult integration. Critically and most importantly, because it is operational in other EU jurisdictions, would be bringing the national health record into an open standards system so that it could operate right across the EU. As I said, the public benefits would be immediate in terms of safety gains in emergency care, parents gaining confidence, and having the convenience of a single, trusted digitised portal that replaces all paper records and fragmented information.”
“The benefits of establishing such a record are immeasurable. The core principle is to create a single national digital record for every child, starting from birth registration. It would involve digitisation connecting all paediatric health data, so vaccinations, growth monitoring, allergies, hospital visits, and visits to GPs and consultants, on a single HSE portal and managed platform. The benefits of this from the point of view of patient safety, GPs and the health services more generally are immeasurable. The system would use existing identifiers such as the individual health identifier and the personal public service number, PPSN, for data consistency and integration. A national health record would also ensure that clinicians and parents can securely access the records of their children, with an audit trail of all activity.”
“Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit go dtí an Teach. We have all had the experience of bringing a family member to or attending an accident and emergency unit or hospital where administrative staff scramble to locate files and get files from GPs. There has been some discourse by the Minister, and it is most welcome, around setting up a system of digitised health records for members of the public and patients. We have seen that service in other jurisdictions. I have returned from attending a meeting last week of the North-South Interparliamentary Association in Stormont and the Northern Ireland Executive has moved on digitising records. I propose we look at beginning by introducing a national children's health record beginning with children born from next year or the year after but whenever the database can be established.”
“I hope that we see positive soundings from the talks in Belém. I hope that our Taoiseach and Minister show leadership on this issue.”
“The Irish Government is seeking a deal to try to meet the challenges relating to agriculture out to 2030. There are significant challenges in that regard. I hope that the Irish Government and the Minister show leadership at the Belém talks on COP30 because the Irish Government will take up the Presidency of the European Union next year and will be leading on the COP31 talks. Whatever about the outcomes of this, which remain to be seen, it is critically important that if we have the EU climate Commissioner, Wopke Hoekstra, saying that the planet does not care about where we achieve the emissions, we say that the planet does care. We all have to do it. It is about burden sharing, fairness and every country playing its part in respect of what is the single greatest threat facing humanity.”
“The EU has done a sneaky deal to try to reach the 90% cuts by 2040 by paying for projects elsewhere. This is akin to Andy Dufresne in "The Shawshank Redemption" pulling the rubble from his cell and redistributing it in the exercise yard. What is happening is that the EU is heading out to COP30 with a deal done to allow it to try to use offsets to reach targets, because many countries are failing to do so. It is important that the Irish Government show leadership at COP30. By all accounts, I do not think it is going to be a successful COP. The mood music is not great. To date, the European Union has shown leadership on climate emissions. Many countries of the European Union have reached their objectives and targets, but many are not going to.”
“I ask that the Minister of State with responsibility for European affairs come before the House at some point to discuss the competitiveness funding that the European Commission is proposing and, in particular, the loss of the EU life projects. There is a proposal on the table to have life funding subsumed into the EU Competitiveness Fund. That would be a retrograde step. If people look at the Corncrake LIFE project, LIFE on Machair and the Wild Atlantic Nature project, which have all been successful, they will see that this is money that embeds itself in rural communities across Ireland. If the fund is lost, it will be lost to Irish farmers. It is important that the Minister of State come to House for a debate. The COP30 discussions begin today. The Taoiseach is there. I was speaking to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, earlier.”
“This is money that finds its way and embeds itself into rural Ireland and into rural communities doing actions and results-based schemes for farmers. If we lose that dedicated LIFE programme, we will lose an awful lot of momentum that we built up over the last four or five years. I wish Deputy O'Sullivan continued success in his Ministry. The Minister of State has the support of this House in his endeavours.”
“Today is an important day. It is probably the first time we have had a debate specifically related to our national parks. For Deputy O'Sullivan, as Minister of State, it is good to hear the views of Members in terms of what they want to see. The Irish people and our visitors take great pride in and get great enjoyment out of our national parks. I remain deeply concerned about what is happening in relation to L'Instrument Financier pour l'Environnement, LIFE, projects and a proposal by the European Commission to subsume them into the so-called competitiveness fund. The LIFE projects have been invaluable in rural communities in Ireland. The Minister of State himself knows that; he has visited some of them.”
“I have also seen the work, particularly in Killarney, where the staff have done considerable training on fire and firebreak management. That work should be ongoing but dedicated legislation for our national parks would be helpful in underpinning the invaluable work that they do and looking at the development of the park. Particularly when Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara was brought over the line and the Conor Pass was purchased, there was a lot of talk about ecological dead zones and how there was nothing there but sheep, but part of the work of developing a national park has to be around developing management plans for them. That work is ongoing and there has been good engagement with the local communities around Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara and how it develops. Those management plans for all of our national parks are vital.”
“It is critical that there have been calls for legislation to underpin our national parks to define what they are. Members have all proposed or suggested other ideas for national parks in Ireland but we need legislation to underpin that. There are international definitions of what national parks are but having legislation to give due specific recognition to our national parks would be important in terms of looking at thresholds for visitor numbers, local communities having an active role in their development, looking at the economic, social and recreational role as well as the invaluable role that they play for nature and heritage, and looking as well at the increasing challenges that our national parks face from climate change because it will be a significant challenge, one that is playing out already.”
“They are really fantastic. It is wonderful to see that gender equality across the NPWS as well. I pay tribute to them because they are the real heroes in all of this. They are the people who are on the ground interfacing with landowners or farmers, working on invasive manage and working on deer management. That is a hugely important part of their role. Separately, it is important to look at the educational role that is an intrinsic part of our national parks. We are here discussing our national parks specifically but there have also been broader conversations about nature. The education role that is played by the NPWS staff in the national parks is the critical element that will sow the seeds of a love of nature among young people that will stay with them through their lives. I pay tribute to the staff for that.”