Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan raised the issue of the Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss. It is my understanding that it made a recommendation for a referendum. I have not yet received a full report but I look forward to receiving the report from the citizens’ assembly. We will give consideration and examination to all the recommendations.

In the first instance, my main focus is on actions now to dramatically improve our performance in biodiversity. Already, the Government has radically changed the landscape, excuse the pun, for the National Parks and Wildlife Service, enabling an agency within the Government to be established, with its own internal board to direct the affairs of the agency. We are also doubling the funding for the National Parks and Wildlife Service and increasing its resources even more to enable it to work across Departments and across the country in respect of the restoration of biodiversity and preservation of biodiversity. Also, we will require more resources to be allocated to the National Parks and Wildlife Service to deal with the huge issue of the forthcoming European Union directive in respect of the restoration of biodiversity, both urban and rural, between now and 2050 with interval years. This will be extremely challenging and it has not really received much attention in the House or across the board. We have put together Departments now to develop a negotiating position on that. In other words, I think we need to keep the balance between a focus on immediate actions and on resourcing the practical operational needs right now, because we are coming from behind. We are coming from a service that was across different Departments for too long. For approximately over a decade it was residing in different Departments. We want to give a permanency and security to the National Parks and Wildlife Service and increased budgets that will make a difference in relation to biodiversity. Again, we will have to look at the full implementations of any recommendations for a referendum. What exactly will it mean? What will the proposed wording look like? We will have to examine all of that.

Deputy Boyd Barrett raised the issue of human rights in Egypt. Concerns about human rights is a real issue and we have raised it on a continuous basis with Egypt, both bilaterally and in multilateral forums. We have raised issues including freedom of expression, space for civil society, digital freedom and treatment of human rights defenders.

At the UN Human Rights Council in March 2021, Ireland co-signed a statement expressing concern about human rights in Egypt, including its use of terrorism legislation to detain human rights defenders and civil society activists. The protection of human rights defenders forms a key part of Ireland’s foreign policy. I understand Alaa Abd el-Fattah has paused his hunger strike and that his family was allowed to visit him on 17 November. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Coveney, has raised this issue and other human rights issues in his discussion with the foreign minister, Mr. Shoukry, when they met recently at COP27. No one should be detained for exercising their basic human rights or for defending the rights of others. We consistently raise that.

On the issue of going to COP27, on one level it was important that it was held in east Africa, because Africa is a continent that at times feels excluded from the debate. It is particularly important in terms of the loss and damage fund and climate finance. That is an issue that is important to Africa in particular. All of the COPs cannot be held in Europe or in the US all of the time. They must be hosted in locations that may not suit everybody at any given time. That is the reality. That is a challenge but it is important that world leaders meet on this issue on an annual basis. That is my view, because if they do not then momentum could slip. Ireland is not responsible for the entire world and we have to look after our own affairs first. We have a democracy here but we cannot change the entire world on our own. It is by being members of multilateral fora that we can help to shape the world to a better place. Ireland does that well through its aid programmes and through its foreign policy more generally.

Deputy Paul Murphy raised the issue that the capitalist system, as he described it, has failed. He does not see any evidence of keeping the 1.5 alive. There are many countries with whom we do not see eye to eye on their policies. The big oil producers such as Russia, the Middle East, Saudi Arabia and the OPEC countries obviously want to retain as much oil and gas as they can. That is why we must develop alternatives as quickly as we can, such as more wind energy, more offshore wind energy, solar power and other alternative sources of energy. That is the big challenge that is facing us. The European Union has probably made the most advances in relation to these areas and others. Those big challenges will come but it is not the role of Europe, or indeed of Ireland, as the Deputy suggests, to look after big oil and gas. That is not the case.

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