Ivana Bacik (Independent)

I support the calls by others for a debate on waste management. It would be useful to have such a debate in the House. There are conflicting views on the best approach to waste management. I agree with Senators Ó Brolcháin and Dearey who spoke against relying on mass incineration as a policy. That has now been shown to be outdated. Instead, we should put more reliance on renewables and increasing our recycling rate, which is not impressive at the moment. Senator Regan is right in saying that the Minister, Deputy Gormley, is conflicted on this. People in Dublin south-east will be most unhappy that the incinerator still appears to be going ahead, despite the many stalling tactics the Minister has adopted. Certainly, the prospect of this mass incinerator on an ill-conceived site in a densely populated area is of great concern to many.

In response to some of the contributions on civil partnership, I welcome the fact that this is an historic day for same sex couples in Ireland, who for the first time will see the prospect of legal recognition for their relationships being put on the Statute Book. As a member of the Labour Party I must say we are very unhappy with aspects of the Bill and we do not believe it goes far enough in terms of achieving full equality for same sex couples. Nonetheless, it is a step in the right direction, and that has to be welcomed by all who are concerned about human rights of others.