Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish to come in with a few comments rather than a question. It is important to ask questions, but we are in a completely different place in 2022 than we were years ago. Biodiversity is now the key word and the new word in all local authorities. Schools and Tidy Towns are really buying into biodiversity, and that applies to rural as well as urban communities.

There is a new debate starting in these Houses on the importance of our bees. The general population have laughed at this for years. They did not think it was important. There is debate going on now about the importance of the bee population. I see it going on right around me in my locality and in every county. Any local authority that is still using weedkillers is probably pulling back even if it does not have to by law. In certain circumstances they will pull back. The other thing is that with the materials being used for playgrounds and things like that now, you never see weeds coming up. I am involved in a lot of community projects, including playgrounds. The newer materials just do not allow weed growth to come up. Everything is moving in the right direction but we have to keep an eye on it. If there are concerns, we must deal with them. I accept that. However, I feel we are in a far better space than we were years ago. The Department cannot do every inspection under the sun but the way it is being handled is quite acceptable to me.