Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I withdraw whatever unparliamentary language I used. I did not intend it in that way; I only intended to be jocose. I was not trying to go at them either.

Unfortunately, there is a problem with carbon credits in agriculture, as Deputy Fitzmaurice and others have said. This relates to where people are putting in afforestation. They are not allowed keep the credits. Big business has come in and farmers are not allowed get carbon credits on their land.

There are parts near where I live in extreme south Tipperary and west Waterford where we have the hen harrier. We have land that cannot be touched or drained. A farmer cannot cut a rush in it. A friend of mine made me two rattles for a little baby recently from rushes from a bog in west Cork. They were works of art. I only got them last night. I should have brought them in and rattled them here. It would have woken us all up. Anyway, he made them from rushes but we cannot even do that in the land where the hen harrier is. We cannot drain it, graze it or plant it. It is useless. We have to be careful what we are at.

His eminence, Pope Francis, is concerned about climate change. My erstwhile colleague, who is not here tonight, Deputy Danny Healy-Rae, is fundamentally opposed to his views. We had an interesting meeting one night in the residence of the former Papal Nuncio. While driving up to the gate, Deputy Healy-Rae said that he did not know what the man wanted from him because he did not agree with his boss. I did not twig for a while what he was going on about, but that is a story for Teachta Danny Healy-Rae. As I said, we must listen. He has issued several encyclicals on the matter as well.

There are 2 million people working in Ireland. We boast everyday about all the people back in work. The quantity and quality of the jobs might be often considered a strain. Anyway, those people have to travel to work. How are we going to take away all the cars? In fairness, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Ross, met a group from my constituency to discuss electrification of buses and electric buses. We must look at all those situations and examine them. We have not got it.

The Minister, Deputy Ross, is introducing a Bill in the House tomorrow. I will be back here especially to challenge the Minister robustly on it. It is affecting rural Ireland. Where is the rural proofing in this legislation? Where is the rural proofing in the legislation before the House tomorrow? It is not there. Rural Ireland is dead and gone. Who is it with in the grave? I cannot think of the poet.

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