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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“Certainly, when we brought the historic and archaeological heritage Act through the two Houses a number of years ago and when we look at intangible cultural heritage, inclusive heritage and those aspects that are really important, we have seen, particularly during heritage week, that communities have an active role to play. It is around looking at biodiversity, intangible culture, heritage, folklore, traditions and practices as well. I would welcome the Minister of State's thoughts on what a review of the Heritage Act might look like, a timeframe for its delivery, and the critical public participation elements of it that would take place with the heritage sector but also within communities. A huge amount of public participation took place in the development of Heritage Ireland 2030 and we need a similar process for this.”
“We want the sector to continue to grow. There are thousands of heritage professionals employed in the sector. We see it in the plans and policies of Government, from the national biodiversity plan to Heritage Ireland 2030. It is important, in looking at where resources for heritage need to go, that it is evidence based. Establishing enhanced responsibilities for, and a research function within, the Heritage Council is a positive way forward. How does the Minister of State anticipate that would be integrated into a revised Heritage Act? How can we reflect on the changes in how heritage is defined in our communities? There has been a broadening of the view on how heritage is defined.”
“Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. The Heritage Act 1995 has served us well. It established the Heritage Council and was a visionary piece of work by Michael D. Higgins. However, 1995 is quite a long time ago and there is a commitment from Government to a review of that and to looking at establishing a research function within the Heritage Council. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, for being with us and I would welcome his and his Department's thoughts on the review and when it will be initiated. We have seen huge growth in the heritage sector in recent years, thanks to the investment of the last Government - and hopefully this Government as well. The Minister of State has seen it in his community in Waterford, with the Viking experience and the fantastic museums quarter in Waterford city.”
“Gabhaim leithscéal leis an Seanadóir Ní Chuilinn; níl freagra againn. I do apologise most profusely to Senator Ní Chuilinn. We do not have a response to her question from the Department. I just want to say on the Senator's behalf that it is unacceptable. If a Senator goes to the trouble of tabling a Commencement matter, there should be an answer here for them. I apologise again. I will ask that the Cathaoirleach prioritises her question.”
“The regular meetings that used to be held with the Environmental Protection Agency and Euan Hutton, the CEO of Sellafield, need to be made public. They need to engage in a much more proactive manner in relation to what is a really damning report about the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing facility for its previous track record down the years since 1957. It was then called Windscale and it had probably one of the worst nuclear accidents in history prior to Chernobyl. The Irish Government needs to have a say in what happens there, needs to be proactive and actually hold the British Government to account as to what is happening there. The report that was presented to the PAC in Westminster a few weeks ago was pretty damning. We talk about accidents waiting to happen. This is one that is waiting to happen on our doorstep.”
“I look forward to an all-Leinster all-Ireland hurling final in a few weeks between Dublin and Kilkenny. On 4 June, the Public Accounts Committee in Westminster received and considered a damning report on the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing facility in Cumbria. It heard of a crumbling site where there is a suboptimal workplace culture, where the clean-up will take 135 years at a cost of £135 billion and where there are intolerable risks. It is our next nearest neighbour. It already has a pretty damning track record, notwithstanding the nuclear industry in the UK and the potential nuclear new-build projects that are going to be located at Hinkley Point. It is important for the Minister for the environment to engage with his counterpart in the UK.”
“It is critically important from all of our perspectives that we can move on to all of the other great challenges that face us. There are housing challenges right across Europe. Will renters here face the same problems as renters in Barcelona following the introduction of some of these measures? That is something that concerns me deeply. I wish the Minister well. Supply will be the only sustainable long-term solution to allow us to move into a mature rental market where the rights of tenants are respected and landlords can get a reasonable return on their investment.”
“Housing supply in Dublin will be stalled in a very short space of time. We are considering modern methods of construction. The suburbs of Dublin need to be built upwards rather than allowed to continue to sprawl. Other countries are using timber frames. We need to scale that up. Once we get critical mass of supply and the use of timber frame construction, we could get to a place where we are building far more affordable accommodation for renters, in particular, and everybody else. These measures are a sticking plaster on a gaping wound that, unfortunately, will be with us for some time. We will support the amendments put forward by Sinn Féin today. It is important we support them. We are not doubting the scale of the challenge the Minister and Government face. As I said, we all want the Minister to succeed.”
“We all want the Minister to succeed. We are all supportive of what he is trying to do. I served in the Department for a number of years and know the diligence of the officials working there and that of the Minister's predecessor. We are facing insurmountable challenges with infrastructure, including water and public transport. The proposals put forward are welcome in terms of extending RPZs to the rest of the country because there are pressures in all parts of the country. However, the overarching solution is supply. We would love to debate lots of other things in both Chambers, but housing is the number one issue and will be with us, unfortunately, for some time to come. We have crazy schemes involving Uisce Éireann piping water from Shannon to Dublin. That will simply not work and will take a decade to achieve.”
“However, it is critically important that all of the support given in the next CAP strategic plan or the next ACRES needs to be embedded into the system to ensure farmers are supported to do the right thing.”
“If we are looking to new markets, it is critically important that we look at all of this in its totality. We must look at the nature restoration regulation and the plan that is about to unfold that will be led by the Government. It can do something unique that will not just protect nature, restore our free-flowing rivers and put in a network of marine protected areas, but will also be able to tie in with having a food product that is of the highest quality, as it has always been, while ensuring we work with nature. Farmers and fishers need to be paid to do the right thing. I again ask the Minister of State to take that away with his colleagues. I wish him well in his work. He has an important task ahead and I know he is up for that task.”
“It is a really appalling situation that is impacting negatively on fishers there. I ask that the Minister of State take away from my contribution the need to look at the sustainability of our produce and the potential for branding that is unique in terms of offering a product based on low-carbon production, good water quality and farming in conjunction with nature. Our marine products will benefit from that, as will our agricultural products from the land. We have something unique in this country, namely, our land, but it has, unfortunately, been degraded over many decades. Some of that is a result of EU policies in that farmers will only do what they are directed to do. Farmers and fishers want to do the right thing but they must be supported to do it.”
“That is hugely important. We have been talking about branding this afternoon. We can brand a unique Irish product that is based on low-carbon farming and close-to-nature farming, that is, farming for nature, water quality and climate. We could bring a very distinct brand to market that may not be achievable for other countries. That is what consumers want. They are looking not just for organics but for a product that is sustainable. I would say the same in regard to our fisheries. I met with fishers a number of years ago when we were working to develop the marine protected area legislation. Fishers want marine protected area because they know there is a positive spillover from sites that are protected into fishing sites. We are currently looking at the issue of overfishing of sprat in Bantry Bay.”
“We also have wonderful producers like Highbank Orchards, Dizzy Goat Farms and Mooncoin Beetroot, which are looking at both export markets and the domestic sector. My colleague spoke about Irish farmers markets. A previous speaker talked about the importance of securing funding under the multi-annual financial framework. It is also critically important that we embed in the next CAP strategic plan and the next design of the agri-climate rural environment scheme, ACRES, schemes that will support farmers to do the right things for nature, water and climate. They should not just be bespoke schemes that last for five or seven years. They must run on a continuing basis in order that farmers will have certainty that they can have good agricultural production and are also given proper payment for doing the right thing by climate, nature and water.”
“Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. This important debate is my first opportunity to formally welcome him to the Seanad Chamber. I have just come from a meeting of the climate committee where we discussed in private session the challenges regarding climate change, biodiversity loss and water quality. No sector in Ireland will be more greatly affected by a changing climate, degraded habitats and disimproving water quality than the farming sector. It is critically important to look not just at new markets but to find something that is distinctly unique to Irish produce and that can be marketed as such around the world. My constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny is home to some of the finest producers of dairy and beef in the country.”
“Again, like other Members, I ask the Minister to introduce standardised mandatory breast density reporting for all women who have mammograms in Ireland.”
“It has previously been reported that BreastCheck radiologists are not willing to make a subjective decision about whether a woman's breast tissue is dense. Therefore, there is no standardised reporting. Women who have dense breasts have no other way of knowing unless the radiologist reports it. Currently, women with dense breasts are left in the dark about their increased risk of developing breast cancer and radiologists, in turn, turn a blind eye to the issue - an additional risk of masking. In view of this and to adjudicate, it is important to point out that software is available. It works well in other breast screen jurisdictions along with their existing 2D mammogram equipment screening in hospital settings. It is known to be accurate and matches well with the subjective density measurement in terms of predicting risk and masking.”
“Another aspect is that women diagnosed with ductal or lobular breast cancer should have an annual MRI as standard because the mammogram does not always diagnose lobular breast cancer. My friend also asked me to mention a fact about the annual mammogram. Her last ductal breast cancer was in 2008 and her mammogram in 2022 reported her as being clear. A year later, however, her mammogram diagnosed extensive lobular breast cancer, with 55 of 59 auxiliary glands positive for cancer cells. A woman's breast density can be assessed by a radiologist's reading of her mammogram images. Breast density is a highly visible radiological finding. There are four levels or categories of breast density. Category C is heterogeneously dense and category D means extremely dense, and these categories are considered to be dense breasts.”
“Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. The Minister is very welcome and I welcome this debate. The points have been well made in respect of breast density. I bring this on behalf of a friend of mine who has campaigned on this issue. The main points she asked me to mention are that women with dense breasts are at a higher risk of getting breast cancer. Also, they do not know whether they have dense breasts. When the BreastCheck service and hospitals conduct mammograms, the radiologist reporting on the mammograms knows but the information is currently not reported to the woman, as it is in most other countries. This fact has been highlighted by other Senators here this evening.”
“The opportunity for peace is there but will not be seized as long as the extremist views hold sway. I commend Greta Thunberg and all the people on board the Madleen on the efforts they made to try to deliver aid into Gaza.”
“What those involved were trying to do was highlight the fact that the whole aid infrastructure in Gaza has been taken over by the US and Israel and the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which is completely not fit for purpose. Citizens are being gunned down by Israeli authorities as they queue for food. There is only one way to deliver aid into Gaza. In the first instance, there has to be a free flow of aid, as required by the people there. In addition, it has to be delivered by aid agencies and UNRWA. They have been in this space for many decades and are the only ones who should be delivering aid. It should be impartial and should not be politicised in this way. Again, we appeal for moderate voices within Israel to be listened to. There are moderate voices there that want this regime toppled and taken out.”
“The campaign groups, particularly Save Our Sprat in Bantry Bay, are calling on the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, to bring in a moratorium until such time as we can ascertain what would be a sustainable catch. At present, fishing vessels are probably catching sprat at three or four times the natural replenishment rate. It takes about 3 kg to 5 kg of sprat to produce 1 kg of farmed salmon. They are primarily being used for feed for the aquaculture industry. This is a matter on which I would welcome an opportunity to have a debate with the Minister. The second issue is the seizure by the Israeli authorities of the Madleen flotilla as it was on its way to deliver humanitarian aid in Gaza.”
“I want to raise two issues, if that is okay. As regards the UN Ocean Conference taking place in Nice, our Taoiseach made a very fine speech there yesterday, but we have a significant challenge with our marine area. Notwithstanding the absence of the marine protected area, MPA, legislation that the previous Government did not get over the line, I question this Government's commitment to getting such legislation in place and moving towards our 2030 targets during its term of office. Significant concerns have been raised by those in coastal communities, particularly around Bantry Bay but in other coastal areas as well, about the overfishing of sprat, which is impacting marine ecotourism. This overfishing is impacting other fish species and marine biodiversity.”
“I hope the measures we have proposed will be given consideration. I do not care whether it is our Bill that is introduced, but the measures in it are bloody good, especially the measure around the town centres first policy. The one-stop shop could be a real enabler, activate a huge volume of housing and bring our town centres back to life.”
“As I said in opening, it is not just the houses that face onto streets. It is the burgage plots and backfilled sites. They are in all our towns around the country and could be filled in with ten, 20 or 30 units for families to live in. It should be done at scale. While I appreciate the Government's response to this, I am extremely disappointed that the Minister has opted to instruct the Government to put a timed amendment on the Bill. I have been present in the past when timed amendments were put on Bills and sometimes I was not very happy about doing it because it was good legislation. We constantly hear the Taoiseach and Ministers say that all that needs to be done is to put down all the proposals we bring forward. We are bringing something positive forward this evening and it is disappointing that it is being met with a brick wall.”
“We need to have a whole new approach and stop turning our backs on our Irish towns. They are beautiful and unique and something very special. We go off to European towns, look at them and think they are fabulous. We have something unique and special here. We have been knocking them, demolishing them and ignoring them for far too long and this Bill is trying to address some of that history. I heard with interest the senior Minister on "Prime Time" yesterday saying that the Government was going to move mountains and do everything in its power and that it has written to the CEOs of local authorities to do the same thing, namely, to find every single enabling force to try to bring housing into use. We have presented a Bill here that will do just that. It is estimated that this would bring about 10,000 houses back into use.”
“I welcome that the Minister of State is going to take elements of the legislation and bring them in through the technical working group. I ask as well that the working group would specifically look at all elements of this legislation and see where we can align them. We need to bring in the professions and bring in conservation architects. We did quite a bit of work in the last Government in ensuring every local authority will have an architectural conservation officer in the context of the town centre first teams. This initiative really needs to move up in scale and out of these exemplar projects we have had through the various heritage grants. It needs to be moved to a scale where it will actually deliver results, deliver housing for people and bring vibrancy back into our town centres.”
“Certainly, when we brought the town centre first policy to the Government in 2020, it was introduced to look at the broader framework of having a one-stop shop. Unfortunately, that element did not make it over the line in 2020, so we are proposing it again. We spoke to conservation architects and they were very clear they have been looking for this approach for more than a decade. It is contained in the report from Martin Colreavy in 2012. I think, therefore, we are missing an opportunity to move this Bill forward. I welcome the comments from the Minister of State, but I think we are missing an opportunity here to move this Bill forward, not to put a timed amendment on it, to allow it to progress, to take on board the good measures and elements in here, to bring it through and, hopefully, to have it enacted by the end of the year.”
“What this Bill does is to gift the Government an opportunity to try to bring 10,000 houses back into productive use in our town centres. This would really be of exceptional value. Turning to the specific query about circumventing the requirement to meet building control standards, this is certainly not the case, as we see it, in this Bill. It does place the onus on architects to submit proposals to the planning authority and the planning authority signs off. If anything, therefore, it strengthens compliance in our view. Issues were also raised around the town centre first process and town centre first planner. Staff are already in place in this regard between the vacancy officers and the town centre first officers.”
“I thank the Minister of State. I thank all the Senators for their contributions. I will address a couple of points raised by the Minister of State in his closing contribution. From our perspective, we are disappointed that a timed amendment has been placed on this legislation. As others said, this an opportunity to bring this Bill to Committee Stage and some of the deficiencies, as the Minister of State put it, could be addressed on that Stage. We have long debated this matter and Senator Higgins has already related the previous Bills brought forward to try to address it. Regarding the Planning and Development Act 2024, I was centrally involved in bringing that legislation through the Houses. It still does not address this aspect, where there was an opportunity there to do it.”
“Here we are in 2025 and my understanding is that the Government will put a timed amendment on this Bill, which is disappointing to say the least. We listened to the housing Minister in recent days say he wanted to accelerate all activity. I will allow my colleagues to speak but I urge Members to support this Bill.”
“Martin Colreavy, then principal adviser for built heritage policy, stated: Given the concentration of historic and older structures in the urban core of our cities and towns, this focus [on heritage-led urban regeneration] supports the Government’s sustainable development policy ‘Our Sustainable Future’ launched by the Taoiseach in June 2012. It incentivises jobs-rich investment in existing assets and protects the value of those assets. Over the longer term it will encourage the maintenance and expansion of populations in urban cores and reduce pressure for unsustainable expansion into greenfield areas, maximising the use of other infrastructure such as schools, retail, recreation and public transport facilities. It is particularly consistent with the objectives of a low carbon economy. That was in 2012.”
“The proposal specifically addresses challenges associated with fire safety, which is something we heard about today from the owners of properties, with disabled access in old buildings and with change of use to residential property. The Bill also provides for a national town centre first partnership office to oversee this new process and assist and provide guidance to all local authorities on the reuse, refurbishment and retrofit of existing buildings. This very far-reaching Bill has immense potential. The Minister of State knows from his own beautiful town of Clonakilty, which I visit very regularly, the potential in these places throughout the country. I looked at a Heritage Council proposal from 2012.”
“The Bill expands a limited category of exempted development, and requires direct inspection by independent, qualified and authorised persons before construction may commence. The town centre first application process will reduce the administrative delay and expense, simplify existing administrative systems for planning and building control and ensure compliance in the conversion or refurbishment of existing structures in areas to residential use. The Bill will require the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to draft and publish associated technical guidance documents for each section of the building regulations relevant to the refurbishment, regeneration and upgrading of existing buildings.”
“Part 4 relates to the Planning and Development Act 2000 and the Building Control Act 1990, and seeks to improve and expedite the process for bringing vacant units within existing properties back into use. This is something that has been sought for a long time, particularly by the conversation and architect profession. The amendments propose to establish a new planning and building control approval process - namely, a town centre first application process - to enable the expedited development of certain classes of residential development in order to bring vacant stock back into use and implement the town centre first policy. This includes those requiring change of use from commercial or industrial to residential and residential refurbishment in upper floors and in other structures.”
“The Bill would also expand the definition of "urban" land to cover all land in towns, villages and cities and remove the requirement for the Minister to have to make regulation to define "urban". Part 3 amends the Finance (Local Property Tax) Act 2012 and the proposed amendment introduces a new tax category for vacant homes and a tax on vacant homes at a rate of 3% of the market value of the property to be collected by Revenue. This includes a new definition for "relevant residential property" as a property that has been vacant for at least 180 days in the preceding year. A number of exemptions apply to the tax, for example if the owner is in care, has moved temporarily for work purposes or if the property is a holiday home undergoing major renovations.”
“It will require local authorities to publish a derelict sites register online. It will require local authorities to use modern methods of serving notice to owners of derelict properties, including site notices, local media and social media. It will also require local authorities to commence acquiring sites once they are on the derelict sites register for a period of two years. The Bill would repeal the derelict sites levy and a derelict sites tax would be introduced. We know that there has been a really low collection rate of the derelict sites levy. The derelict sites tax would be introduced at 7% of the market value of the property. The responsibility of collection would be with Revenue. All moneys collected would be returned to local authorities to achieve the objective of the Affordable Housing Act 2021.”
“It is enabling legislation, but it is also legislation that tries to unlock sites that have been derelict for a long time, where the owners of them are sitting on them. We have a not-fit-for-purpose Derelict Sites Act 1990, which is not really addressing the problem we are trying to deal with here. I will generally outline the purpose of the Bill and what we are seeking to do. The main element of it is the amendment of the Derelict Sites Act 1990. The Bill seeks to expand the definition of "derelict" buildings for the purpose of placing buildings on the derelict sites register to include buildings that are "damaged", "neglected" and are not habitable without remedial works, buildings that have entrances and windows boarded up and buildings that have been disconnected from electricity or water services for a period of two years.”
“Earlier today, we had a presentation from Valerie Mulvin of McCullough Mulvin Architects, which has done a huge amount of work, including a touring exhibition, "The Reason of Towns", which looks to a resource to which we have turned our backs for far too long. We also heard from Steve Wall, lead singer of The Stunning, who has family experience with a property that was in his family's ownership. It was a family business - a shoe shop - for many years that they tried to renovate and ran into huge difficulties with the fire officer. These are the experiences that many people are facing as they look to try to regenerate and restore properties. This Bill seeks to address some of that to make it easier.”
“I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. He is very welcome to the House this evening to discuss this important Bill proposed by the Cross-Party Group of the Labour Party, the Social Democrats and the Green Party. I am sure the Minister of State will be aware, from his own part of the country, that vacancy and dereliction is a blight on our villages, towns and cities. We estimate, and they are conservative estimates, that there are as many as 80,000 properties that could be renovated and put back into productive use. These are not just the properties facing our streets; the potential to backfill these properties for multiple occupancies is immense.”
“If we continue the way we are going, we are just not going to attract good people to stand in local elections. That is the real challenge we have, right across the country. The political parties here know that it is very hard to find people because it is a very tough business to be in. There is an awful lot of online abuse and general abuse of local authority members. We have all had that experience but for me, it was an enriching one in my political career. I was a councillor for 16 years and while I was the only Green in the village for a long time, I still found it to be a very enriching experience. It gives us a political grounding to enable us to come into this Chamber or into the Dáil Chamber to continue our political work on behalf of the communities we serve. I wish the Minister of State well.”
“Local authority members and staff do fantastic work but there is something fundamentally and deeply flawed when we continually look at taking away more powers, centralising power and having a clientelist system between the executive and councillors who are waiting for scraps from the table in order to make decisions that the executives want to push through. That has to be addressed. The elected members need to feel that their voices are heard, that they are representing their communities and that they have a work-life balance that makes them want to continue in local government. That needs to be at the core of what this task force looks at. Again, I know that the Minister of State has reform at the core of what he is trying to achieve and I urge him to be brave and courageous about it.”
“Local authority members should feel very proud of the role that they play on a daily basis in ensuring that grants go to local communities and should feel supported in the efforts they are making around community heritage initiatives. Generally, I welcome the establishment of this task force. I urge the Minister of State to be brave and radical. We need to look at new funding mechanisms for local government and consider the establishment of energy supply companies. Could local authorities be involved in that? There has to be more devolution of revenue-raising powers to local government so that members can feel they have a hand and part in shaping the future of the communities they serve. Collectively we are all agreed here that our local government system is broken. It does fantastic work.”
“from talking to elected members as I was out on the Seanad campaign trail, was that they feel demoralised. The issue of pay has been mentioned but their workload is really so demanding right now. It is weekdays, weekends, holidays and it is non-stop. We need to look at the other elements of the Moorhead report that have not been grappled with, particularly with regard to that policy-making role and trying to ensure there is a better work-life balance for elected members. It is important to acknowledge the incredible role that local authorities play in our daily lives, from our library services to our arts and heritage officers. All of that makes a really positive contribution to the daily lives of people that perhaps communities themselves do not realise.”
“That is hugely important. The other thing I worked on in my previous role was dedicated heritage teams. That is starting to roll out, whereby we have archivists, archaeologists, architectural conservation officers, ACOs, and heritage officers. Crucial to all of this, however, and this goes back to the comments other Members have made, is around the role of elected members and the responsibility. Sometimes, bad decisions which are pushed by the executive fall back on local authority members. As we have discussed previously, that element of participative planning and moving out of that token consultation really has to be fundamental to how local authorities work. It makes for better decision making, more inclusion and everybody feeling that their voices have been heard on the issue of the spending of public money. The experience I found.”
“That issue needs to be dealt with by this task force. We need to grapple with that. Currently, our town hall has been ripped out for a tourist attraction. What happens if we decide to reinstate the city council? It is just so unfortunate. We must look at that. Each local authority needs to have in place a dedicated EU unit where it can tap into EU partnership projects and funding.”
“While not wanting to look back, when we look at the important future challenges facing local government, such as climate action, the nature restoration plan, active travel, public transport, community policing, sustainable drainage systems, nature-based solutions and all of these broad, big issues with which local authority members must grapple, we need that dedicated tier of urban authority, and a network of them. It is important that once you are part of that network, you are part of a European network that can be tapped into for sharing projects and best practice. The issue of directly elected mayors has been mentioned. We cannot row back on the commitment. It is working well in Limerick. With regard to the Minister of State’s role, we need to have a directly elected mayor in our capital city. That is absolutely vital.”
“I welcome the Minister of State and I thank him for his time today. Like other Members, I very proudly served as a local authority member. I spent 16 years on Kilkenny Corporation – that is what I call it – and then Kilkenny County Council after another Kilkenny man decided in 2014 to abolish it, unfortunately. This is the premise of some of the other contributions. Kilkenny had a unique place in Irish history. The first minutes of Kilkenny Corporation date back to 1231, to the Liber Primus Kilkenniensis , and Kilkenny was granted city status by charter in 1609. The abolition was detrimental to the urban authority.”
“When you look at issues such as biodiversity net gain from public projects, these are really fantastic opportunities we can have where a very ethically led procurement policy could bring us in the right direction. We have obligations with respect to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and international agreements we have made regarding biodiversity loss. I look forward to the paper being brought forward and I hope we get an opportunity to discuss it at the climate and environment committee. That is an appropriate place to have it discussed, and I would welcome an opportunity to do that. I wish the Minister of State well with this important work ahead but this has to be a central tenet of the whole procurement policy the State develops.”
“What are also critically important are supply chains coming from countries where there are ethical and exploitation issues and where environmental degradation is a side result of exploitation materials. One thing we know for certain is that one of the greatest drivers of biodiversity loss is resource use, along with exploitation of forests and other materials. It is critically important the Irish Government and State has in place a robust procurement policy that pays heed to this and ensures everything we do and our purchasing power is used to good effect and that the money the State spends or local authorities or other public bodies spend is used to good effect and in a positive way.”