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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“Critical to that will be the establishment of Oireachtas committees, which we are all agreed must be done sooner rather than later. I thank my colleague Senator Harmon for bringing forward the Bill.”
“We have an opportunity to address this injustice in our rental market, first and foremost, and, importantly, to stop this form of sexual predation. In the longer term, fair, affordable and high-standard rental accommodation with adequate supply will go some way towards ending practices like this exploitation of women. Until then, we must legislate to outlaw and penalise such practice. I commend my colleagues, Senators Harmon, Cosgrove and Stephenson, on this, our first Cross-Party Group legislative proposal. I commend the Labour Party on bringing it forward. As other Senators have said, it is the third attempt to legislate on these matters. I urge the Minister, who is a reforming Minister, not just to support the Bill but to ensure it progresses.”
“Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. I congratulate him on his appointment. I wish him all the very best for his term ahead. I know he is a reforming Minister, as he has outlined, and this is one area where he can make a significant difference. I welcome the National Women's Council of Ireland and all the other representative organisations that have been campaigning for this for many years. The rental crisis is symptomatic of a broader housing crisis in Ireland. Nowhere is the rental crisis more evident than in the disgraceful practice of advertising rental properties in return for sex. In recent years and as Senator Harmon outlined, it has become more pervasive than we as policymakers would like to believe. It is not just a Dublin, Cork or Limerick phenomenon; it is a problem throughout the country.”
“Concrete on its own will not address the challenges we are facing. As we have all witnessed, the weather events that are taking place up and down the country are unprecedented, but they are with us and are going to stay with us. It is up to us all to work collaboratively to try to address these events, and nature can play a significant role in helping us.”
“All these measures will have a lower cost than some of the hard-engineering solutions and they can be done right now as we wait for a lot of these schemes to come onboard. It is really important that we look at them. I urge the Minister of State to work with his Government colleagues to look at the opportunities that are there under the water action plan and to initiate that review of the Arterial Drainage Act as a matter of urgency. It is really important that that Act be reviewed. We need to look at the opportunity the nature restoration plan can bring to us. There is a climate nature fund of €3.15 billion and the Government still has not published how it is going to spend that money. That is going to be very important as communities, farm organisations and all of us work collaboratively to try to address these issues.”
“That effort to slow down water and its lag time can have a beneficial impact, particularly in cases of the dumping of large quantities of rainfall in short periods. We are dealing with very short events at times in many of our urban areas, as some of the other Senators have raised, and we need to look towards that. We also need to look towards the nature restoration plan and the opportunities it provides for the restoration of habitats, native woodlands, wet woodlands, peatlands and rivers. All of this can have a positive impact in holding water back, managing rainfall and working with nature. There are objections under LULUCF, or land use, land-use change and forestry, which, again, are largely climate objectives but they will have co-benefits in nature restoration and water management.”
“It is very important that we look at the collaborative actions around the various plans and proposals from the OPW to the water unit in the Department of housing, the EPA, the Department of agriculture and all the agencies working together to try and achieve these objectives. Added to that, in our urban areas it is critical that we look at good urban planning and design, including the upskilling of local authority engineers and planners to look at fewer hard-surface car parks and more permeable paving, rain gardens and tree planting. These are nature-based solutions. Some years ago, they were probably seen as a little bit out there but there are some really good projects in Dublin and Cobh, County Cork, which I visited as well, where they are using nature-based solutions in urban areas to attenuate water and slow it down.”
“Of the 467 candidate water bodies I mentioned under the heavily modified water bodies proposal, 325 are based around arterial drainage. The Arterial Drainage Act, at the time it was brought into effect, was largely a labour activation measure for rural Ireland. However, it has caused significant problems with land drainage and in many ways, it continues to contribute to some of the challenges we are facing with flooding up and down the country. That review is vital. Moreover, in the context of the water action plan and the objective of the nature restoration plan, establishing more and more free-flowing rivers and removing barriers to fish passage will be beneficial. We have heard talk of dredging, but that is not the solution because the rivers just continue to silt up.”
“This could relate to the migration or passage of fish along free-flowing rivers. These are targets we have set under the water action plan, which I launched in Kilkenny last year. The work that is ongoing in relation to the national nature restoration plan is, again, hugely important work that will require a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach. In looking at these, if we look at the multiple benefits nature restoration could provide in alleviating flooding in our communities, it is very important that the OPW, in conjunction with all Departments, give consideration to it. In the water action plan, a commitment was given by the OPW to reviewing the Arterial Drainage Act, and that commitment should be met by this Government. It is hugely important.”
“A public consultation was opened by the Department of housing in respect of heavily modified water bodies, which is to feed into the third cycle of the river basin management plan. These are water bodies whose physical characteristics have been modified by engineering works, power generation, water supply, flood defences or arterial drainage. They are formally designated by the Minister for housing as part of the river basin management plan. There are currently 467 candidate water bodies, which is a huge step up from the 33 bodies in the first cycle of the plan a number of years ago. The plan looks at the ecological potential objective of these water bodies, rather than their ecological status. That ecological potential objective recognises the modifications that are potentially impacting on good water status.”
“All of these issues coupled together are causing significant challenges for communities throughout the country. Noting the very good work that was done with the CFRAM modelling and the OPW's approach, that is to be commended on pointing a way forward. While these hard-engineering solutions are important and play a significant role, and Kilkenny city has certainly benefited from a very good and effective flood relief scheme over recent years, we do have to look to nature as well and at the opportunities it can provide us in the interim, because we are talking about schemes that could take ten or 11 years to come to fruition. In the interim, there are opportunities we should be giving consideration to in trying to address some of the challenges communities are facing.”
“Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. Déanaim comhghairdeas leis. I wish the Minister of State all the very best in his tenure. He has a very exciting portfolio but, no doubt, an incredibly challenging one as well. As Senators said, these extreme weather events we are witnessing are now becoming the norm. It was shown in a lot of climate modelling over recent years that this would be the case, whether in the form of flooding, heat storm events or large rainfall dumps in urban areas, which are the cause of many of these flooding events. Much of this is created historically by poor spatial planning, poor urban planning, hard-surfacing of areas, changes in agricultural use and change in land use. We are also witnessing significant signs of coastal erosion and rising sea levels.”
“Following the increased investment, I ask that the Minister for Defence give consideration - it could take place by way of debate in this Chamber - to the dual use of personnel and equipment and their deployment to address these horrific and destructive fires.”
“In light of the increased investment due to take place in the Defence Forces, we should consider looking at dual capability of Defence Forces equipment and personnel in situations like this. We are in a biodiversity crisis, which is added to by the devastation and destruction caused to habitats, with the loss of species and ground nesting birds, not to mention that properties are also being threatened. The ability to rapidly deploy resources to address these fires will be critical because, unfortunately, there will be an increased incidence of them, given the weather events happening around the world.”
“The Exchequer and ultimately the taxpayer will pay the cost but, in the shorter term, renters will pay the cost if we do not have proper standards for energy and insulation in private rental properties. The second issue I will raise relates to the fires that are still raging in Wild Nephin, Kenmare, other parts of Kerry and the Mourne Mountains. We have seen the devastation again. It is fantastic to have the weather we have outside but at this time of year, we seem to have a persistent problem. We had made some strides in recent years, particularly with the training of National Parks and Wildlife Service staff and direct liaison with local authorities and fire emergency services.”
“There are two issues I want to raise with the Leader. One relates to the potential shelving of the introduction of BER certificates for private rental properties, as reported by Caroline O'Doherty of the Irish Independent . This was a key commitment under Housing for All during the previous Government's term. Does the Government now intend to shelve plans to bring in BER certificates for private rental properties? That might have been acceptable in the 1980s when I was renting flats around Dublin with a poster of The Smiths on the wall but it certainly is not acceptable now. It would push a lot of families, individuals and students into fuel poverty when they are already paying exorbitant rents. I ask the Government not to shelve those plans. It is a retrograde step that only kicks the can down the road as regards environmental targets.”
“I appreciate the comments by the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, that it is flawed, but we can work together to address those issues. It is vital that we continue every single effort we can to stop the slaughter in Gaza.”
“Caught up in all of this, as all Members have spoken of, are the tens of thousands of men, women and children who continue to be murdered and maimed using weapons and technology provided by Israel's US partners. The Irish medical workers asked us yesterday to use every mechanism possible to bring pressure on Netanyahu and his right-wing thugs to bring about a permanent ceasefire, stop the slaughter, release the hostages and move towards a peaceful resolution. We are further from that than ever now. This Bill is just one part of Ireland's effort. It is a small part of Ireland's effort, but every effort is appreciated. Again, I thank the Civil Engagement Group for bringing it forward. We need to restrict and stop the military machine to stop the murder.”
“Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit agus déanaim comhghairdeas leis. I thank the Civil Engagement Group. I will be supporting this Bill. Yesterday, Senator Cosgrove and I met with Irish Healthcare Workers for Palestine. They have been outside Leinster House protesting for some time now, and have been campaigning and asking us in these Houses to highlight the plight of doctors, nurses, paramedics and other medical staff who are caught up in the conflict in Gaza. Last week, medical workers were found in a mass grave after being bound, gagged, executed and buried in a shallow grave, breaking all international law and with very little condemnation from the international community. The IDF continues to breach all international law in its murderous regime in Gaza and its offensive against Hamas.”
“I do not think the crazy Shannon pipeline project will see the light of day for ten years, in reality, if we look at the planning system. As well as reconsidering the project, we should look at Dublin supply and conservation measures and at ways of reducing demand. That, on top of much more stringent targets and parameters for waste water treatment under the recast waste water treatment directive, will present us with even further challenges as treatment plants are being commenced or commissioned now and in light of what will be demanded at European level in the next couple of years. I do not envy the Minister’s task but everyone here is united in trying together to finding solutions. This is an immense challenge.”
“One thing we looked at from the heritage side was putting in place conservation advice - the €5,000 grant - and having architectural conservation officers in every local authority which is really important. We need to see this not as a heritage issue but as a housing solution. It keeps our towns compact and vibrant, prevents urban sprawl and leads to the activation of professional conservation services across the country. It is heritage-led regeneration in action. We need to put it front and centre of our housing challenges. On the Uisce Éireann issue, I listened to what Jerry Grant had to say on the desperate state of our water and waste water infrastructure. We need to significantly ramp up investment in water and waste water. We have heard about the challenges in rural Ireland.”
“During the term of the last Government, we attempted to address the issue through the croí cónaithe grants and the vacancy grants. These efforts need to be ramped up significantly. We need to look at the potential of tens of thousands of pre-1919 houses, dwellings and above-shop premises - this is a UNESCO definition - in rural towns and villages and in larger cities across the country. Here in Dublin, there are above-shop premises and Georgian townhouses which are completely unoccupied. I see it in my home city of Kilkenny. I spoke to a surveyor last week who said that the vast majority of above-shop premises are empty. There is huge potential here.”
“I welcome the Minister and wish him all the best in what is no doubt the most difficult portfolio in government. Having served as a Minister of State in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, I saw and was part of the immense effort by the previous Government to try to address this problem. It is an intergenerational problem, as other Senators have said. I will focus on two things: vacancy and dereliction; and Uisce Éireann. Senator P. J. Murphy raised this as well. According to census 2022, there were 163,433 vacant properties, excluding holiday homes, on census night in that year. Approximately 30% of the vacant properties numerated in 2022 were also vacant in 2016. Nearly half of them - 23,000 - were also vacant on census night in 2011 so there is a pervasive vacancy problem.”
“In the seconds remaining to me, I highlight the commitment in the programme for Government to have a publicly funded model. I also note there was a commitment to create a legal right to two years of early childhood care and education in the manifestos of both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. That is vital. It is critical that we move towards a public model. These are the most important educators in the life of a young person. Early childhood education should be child-centred and parent-centred and should value practitioners as educators in their own right.”
“The First 5 strategy, the expansion of the national childcare scheme and the access and inclusion model were brought through in budget 2024. While the core funding model for childcare providers did not suit all providers and there were challenges around it, it was, in principle, a step in the right direction in terms of the sustainability of early childhood development. Senators mentioned the reduction in fees. The previous Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, was keen to advance that during his time in government, as is the Minister as she moves into her Ministry. I also mention pay and conditions because we will not have a viable early childhood development sector in Ireland unless we have viable pay for workers. We also have enhanced parental leave policies.”
“Cuirim fáilte leis an Aire agus í ar ais arís. This is a sector in which I have a great interest. My wife is a practitioner in a lovely Montessori called First Steps Montessori, with Mary Verling and her team in Kilkenny. Over the past 20 years, I have been a voluntary board member of a number of community childcare projects. These projects, which Senator Tully also mentioned, are really important, particularly for vulnerable and low-income families. The Minister's predecessor and my colleague, Deputy O'Gorman, made significant investment in early childhood education and development in the previous Government. This resulted in a tremendous uplift in terms of funding, which doubled from €638 million to €1.3 billion in 2025.”
“There is a repository in Swords that harbours a lot of artefacts on behalf of the OPW the National Museum of Ireland and the National Monuments Service. There is a bigger piece of work required on the national development plan in that regard. We should see this as an opportunity. We should consider the value of culture and heritage not just from the point of view of our social well-being and identity but also from an economic viewpoint. It is important we have a debate in the House. Perhaps we could invite the cultural institutions to have a discussion on their requirements as other countries are pulling back. Part of the opportunity, as we consider what might unfold in the next 24 hours, is that we can look at the value of culture and heritage to our economy and society.”
“As the US Administration scours cultural institutions, LGBTQI, black history, the Smithsonian Institution and the Kennedy Center, culture is being stripped out and history is being erased. It is a worrying time as we see that happening. A part of our opportunity must be the ramping up of investment in culture and heritage. It is a fantastic opportunity. We see this as an investment. Our national library and national museums have been starved of funding over successive terms of government. I managed to give an uplift to the Heritage Council and other heritage organisations during my time in government. There is a genuine fear there. Will the Leader arrange a discussion and invite representatives of the national cultural institutions for a discourse on funding and their future long-term needs?”
“I support the comments made by Senator Fitzpatrick. We await the announcement from the US Administration as it continues to play deal or no deal with the global economy. We in Ireland need collectively to adapt to a rapidly changing world order. That involves seeing this as an opportunity to wean ourselves off our overdependence on corporation tax receipts and to start localising, for example, our energy systems, farming and food systems, indigenous industry and SMEs, and to look towards other trading partners. There is a fear among cultural and heritage institutions that they may be seen as collateral damage when it comes to possible budgetary cuts later this year. Perhaps the warning salvos were sent out by the Minister in respect of the issues around the scanner at the National Gallery of Ireland.”
“Before the next speaker, I welcome the guests of Charles Hearne, our facilities manager, from the UK Parliament, including the leader of the delegation, John Owen, and The Lady Usher of the Black Rod, Sarah Clarke. You are very welcome to the Upper House. We hope you enjoy your visit to Dáil Éireann and to Ireland.”
“I appreciate the answer given by the Department but as the Minister is a stakeholder with responsibility for and oversight of the company, it is important that he take up the matter with Coillte as a matter of urgency.”
“In his comprehensive response, the Minister of State referred to the 2022 strategic vision. However, in that strategic vision, Coillte Nature has a very specific role, but that is now being deleted. That is the question I have. It is frustrating for us all that the committees are not up and running because we cannot ask these questions directly of Coillte. It is important that we get answers on this. I mentioned the Gresham House debacle. We would have expected Coillte to have improved on its communications with all stakeholders and the general public, in light of a decision like this. It appears that it is removing a very specific part of its function, the not-for-profit Coillte Nature, which had a very dedicated team working on nature restoration. That does not spell a very good commitment towards nature restoration.”
“Was the board informed of this decision? Is it not a signal that Coillte is not committed to nature restoration? That is the question, given that this week we have embarked with the stakeholders on engagement on a national nature restoration plan. That is a lot of questions and I appreciate that the Minister of State is here on behalf of the Minister for agriculture, but it is important that we get answers on this.”
“Have there been any redundancies? Were all relevant Ministers informed? I am conscious that there was an interregnum between the outgoing Government and the formation of the new one. Could Coillte not have waited until a new Government was formed to engage with relevant Ministers? At a time when we are in the depths of a biodiversity crisis, is this a bad business management plan by Coillte? How will it impact on the business model and the nature trust? That is a lot of questions and, as the previous speaker noted, our committees are not yet up and running, so there is not an opportunity to engage directly with Coillte on this or to ask what the rationale was behind this decision. In light of the Gresham House deal and the really poor communication around it, there are significant concerns among stakeholders in the forestry sector.”
“On announcing the decision, Coillte stated that it had decided to absorb the work of Coillte Nature into its existing and larger Coillte Forest organisational structure and that this reorganisation would enable Coillte to significantly improve its delivery on climate and nature restoration projects. It went on to say the decision was in line with the strategic vision published in 2022. On page six of that document, however, Coillte Nature is given an explicit role in nature restoration work, which I would have assumed is a hugely important part of its work. Coillte is also one of the State's largest landowners, responsible for 140,000 ha of land, or 7% of the country's land area. This was a very strange and quiet deletion from the company's business plan and strategy. What is happening to staff in this instance?”
“There was also regeneration of the midlands' native woodlands and wild western peatlands in the north west. In 2024, Coillte signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, in my presence and that of the then Minister of State, Pippa Hackett, at last year's National Ploughing Championships. The memorandum undertook to work collaboratively on the restoration of Coillte lands of strategic value for nature or where they were of a poor yield class. It focused particularly on sites such as the Slieve Bloom Mountains that could benefit threatened hen harrier populations.”
“It was also claimed that staff and all relevant stakeholders had been informed of the decision in January, yet the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, wrote to the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Healy-Rae, in March asking what was happening at Coillte Nature. The Minister of State replied a few days later saying that he had raised the issue with Coillte. I am not sure if Coillte is duty bound to inform the Ministers, but that was the response. Coillte Nature was established as a not-for-profit section of Coillte Teoranta and was dedicated to the restoration, regeneration and rehabilitation of nature across Ireland. Its work included the Dublin Mountains makeover project, a hugely important stakeholder project that has provided great benefits to the communities there.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as ucht teacht isteach sa Teach. Déanaim comhghairdeas leis. I have not had the opportunity to formally congratulate him on his appointment. I received correspondence from the Department of agriculture yesterday indicating that neither the Minister for agriculture, nor the three Ministers of State, were available to take this Commencement matter, so I appreciate the Minister of State being here. An article by Caroline O'Doherty in the Irish Independent on 22 March this year reported that Coillte had very quietly folded its dedicated biodiversity division, Coillte Nature. At the time, Coillte stated that it would subsume and embed its biodiversity duty across the organisation.”
“From the Minister of State's perspective, it is critically important that he look at this during his tenure. He is a cyclist, so it is vital that we look at this from the perspective of vulnerable road users in particular. With the trend over recent years, unfortunately, it is increasingly worrying to see what is happening in many of our smaller towns and villages, not just the large urban centres. Dublin also faces a major challenge as local authorities try to reshape and reallocate road space. Will the Minister of State deliberate on that matter? I apologise that I cannot stay to hear the Minister of State's closing comments. I thank him and wish him all the very best during his tenure.”
“Local authority members need to make brave decisions, and it is very often the case that they do not. They need to make brave decisions about safe routes to school and about the reallocation of public spaces in urban centres, which is hugely important. The reduction in speed limits is to be absolutely welcomed, but there is so much more to be done through good urban planning, incorporating that planning into road safety and ensuring that people-centred road design is at the forefront of what we do. Thankfully, in Kilkenny we have an access group that is consulted with in regard to road projects. We also have a cycling officer in Kilkenny. Every local authority should have these resources at its disposal for engaging with the public on road safety issues.”
“I do not want to see other towns making that same mistake we did in Kilkenny, where there are trucks trundling through, past schools, hospitals and residential areas. If we look back at the time of Barbara's accident, and we think of accidents like that in urban centres, I will not say they were rare but they were very largely confined to the larger urban centres, such as here in Dublin. The trend we have seen in recent years in our smaller towns and villages, however, is one of an increasing one of pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable road users being killed by cars. We are talking about road safety. We are doing so largely from the perspective of cars, but it is critically important to recognise the need to reconfigure our public spaces. Local authorities need to be at the forefront of that. Local authorities need to be creative.”
“This is just one of those stories of lives cut short, and I want to use my time to speak about those vulnerable road users - cyclists, pedestrians, and people with disabilities, visual impairments and intellectual disabilities - who find themselves all too often at the receiving end of an urban planning system that is made for cars and trucks. It is not made for people. There has to be a shift in thinking, particularly in urban policy and planning, towards people and away from the current road-centric approach we have taken. We saw the mistakes made in my home town of Kilkenny, where the local authority ploughed a road through the heart of the medieval town, despite the objections of thousands of people in Kilkenny. Now, they are all saying in Kilkenny that they want to finish the ring road, which we had campaigned for.”
“They had a little baby of eight weeks old at the time of the accident. These are the stories behind all of those statistics, and Barbara was just one of them. The Minister of State can imagine what a happy time that was in their lives, and her mum, Margaret, dad, Bill and partner, Ruth, were all naturally devastated. She had recently returned from Eritrea, where she vowed to raise funds for a school, and she succeeded in doing that. That is but a small part of her legacy. Barbara was an educator, an environmentalist, a human rights defender, a development worker, a mum, a daughter, a partner and a friend.”
“Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, agus comhghairdeas leis. The Minister of State is very welcome. It is the first time I can congratulate him on his appointment, and I wish him all the very best over his term of office. The Minister of State mentioned at the start of his opening contribution that behind each statistic is a story and a family. I want to speak about the late Barbara Gill. Barbara, as she was back on 19 April 2007, was cycling to work with a high-vis jacket on and her helmet. She came down onto Wolfe Tone Quay, down by the Ashling Hotel. She was tragically hit by a skip lorry, the driver of which made a last-minute decision to turn. Unfortunately, he did not pick her up given the blind spot in his mirror. Barbara and her partner Ruth were new parents at the time.”
“I am thinking about the hen harrier threat response plan on which I signed off, which contributed to closing one of the longest running infringement cases against a member state in the EU's history. Those involved in conservation are puzzled as to what the decision-making process was. I ask the Minister to address the issue as a matter of urgency. It is not a positive signal that Coillte is committed to nature restoration. Questions need to be answered on the decision-making process that led to the disbandment of Coillte Nature.”
“In 2019, the Dáil declared a biodiversity and climate emergency. Public bodies have a legal duty to restore nature through the nature restoration regulation and implementation of the national biodiversity action plan. I am completely puzzled to see what has happened here and what decision-making process has taken place. Was the board aware of the decision? What will happen to Coillte Nature? What will happen to the staff of Coillte Nature? Coillte Nature is referenced in Coillte's strategies. It is specifically referenced with regard to the Dublin Mountains makeover and the midlands native woodlands project. There are issues with legacy areas that need to be managed for nature. There is the conversion to continuous cover forestry, restoring forest to peatlands and areas of open ground around the Slieve Bloom mountains in particular.”
“Before I go to my main issue, I express my support for Senator Andrews. As a former Minister of State with responsibility for heritage, I feel that surely a compromise can be found to respect the heritage of the buildings and see them regenerated. This morning I met the Irish medical workers for Palestine. I want to back up the comments of Senator Higgins on the horror in Gaza. There are Irish doctors and nurses working on the front line in Gaza. Everything we can do to help, be it the occupied territories Bill, lobbying or boycotts, is important. The medical workers asked us, as policymakers here, to be mindful of medical workers working on the front line in the horror zone that is Gaza. I raise an issue that has emerged in the past week with regard to Coillte and the dismantling of Coillte Nature.”
“We can show leadership, not just during Ireland's Presidency but through the development of a nature restoration plan that is ambitious and that supports farmers to put the right measures in place on their land and that will see them get good support for the work they do. I wish the Minister all the best during his tenure.”
“I ask that the Minister fight for that for Ireland and the other countries. I believe we can have vibrant nature, good water quality and free-flowing rivers, as well as our built and archaeological heritage, which I am sure other Senators will speak to as well. We can also have productive family farms producing quality food, which is what we do best here. Farmers want to be part of this. I am certain of that because I have heard it from the farmers I have met in derogation areas and in my county of Kilkenny. I have also heard it from farmers whose animals graze marginal areas in Kerry and elsewhere. Nature is our first and our best line of defence in the face of climate change.”
“The Department will work closely and collaboratively with the National Parks and Wildlife Service around the development of Ireland’s first nature restoration plan and to use the mechanism of the €3.15 billion climate and nature fund that was committed to in the previous Government to outline where that fund is broken down and how it can align with long-term objectives and provide long-time certainty to farmers, the good advice they need and the long-term funding mechanisms to work to restore nature. On the multi-annual financial framework at European level, we have said consistently that if the European Union is supporting the nature restoration law, as it has been and thankfully Ireland played a leadership role in ensuring that law was passed, then a European-level fund for nature restoration must have a place. It is hugely important.”