Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We have a long list of Bills waiting to be cleared from Members on both sides of the House.

As regards the Bill before us, I have been contacted by a large number of constituents in Kerry who have asked me to speak on their behalf. I am happy to do so. I welcome the opportunity to discuss this important matter. I echo the calls to the Minister, Deputy Hogan, to do everything in his power to bring forward the Government Bill as soon as possible. When I was canvassing around Kerry this time two years ago, I was asked quite a lot about this matter on the doorsteps. It is an important issue for people.

The world is a small place when it comes to considering the overall global climate. What we do here can have an impact on other countries and vice versa. We all have to play our part and pull our weight in the world. In the mid-1980s, when I was a child, I remember the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster. Sheep grazing on the mountain beside where I live died as a result of that nuclear accident, even though it occurred thousands of miles away. It is an indication of how small the world is when it comes to environmental issues, including climate change.

Deputy Eoghan Murphy has enjoyed swimming off Inch beach during the summer. The rise in sea temperatures, however, has attracted some rather unusual jellyfish specimens and other sea creatures that would not have been seen in Irish waters before now. If that is not an indication of sea temperatures rising, what is? It might not be so pleasant for Deputy Eoghan Murphy to jump into the water off Inch strand in future should this trend continue. Perhaps the Minister could address that matter in the Government Bill also by way of the jellyfish amendment.

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