Sean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 20:

In page 13, line 3, to delete "Government" and substitute "Oireachtas".

I welcome the Minister of State. These matters are important as we head towards the Paris conference at the end of the month. Everyone in the House wants to assist Ireland's presentation in being the best it can be. The purpose of my amendment is to bring the Oireachtas into decision making on this matter on the basis that the environment exists for everyone. The Seanad has a proud record in that regard and we would like to contribute to policy making. The Former Senator Éamon de Buitléar was mentioned during our previous debate on this Bill. He was one of those who popularised an interest in the environment. Even further back, the Wild Birds Protection Act 1930, which was described as admirable at the time, was introduced by the then Senator Samuel Brown and passed by the Dáil. The Seanad has a significant potential to contribute to this national enterprise and a record of so doing. For this reason, will the Minister of State involve the Oireachtas under this amendment today or on Report Stage?

The Bill states that "the Advisory Council shall be appointed by the Government, on the nomination of the Minister." In the interim, the Department has appointed an advisory committee. I was unaware of this at the time. I do not want to reflect on the individuals concerned, but the point of the amendment remains. We should communicate these decisions to the wider Oireachtas. The Government would find a large measure of support for the work that it is doing on the environment. There is no longer a dispute on climate change. The level of acceptance before the Paris conference represents a major increase on what existed previously. There have been changes in public opinion in the US. The entire November edition of National Geographic, which came to us yesterday, is on climate change.

This issue concerns us all and we would appreciate the Minister of State's consideration on Report Stage of ways for the Seanad to be involved, particularly given the House's record. The current provision seems to be an oversight, but the Minister of State can tell from the list of amendments that, at several points in the Bill, the Seanad does not seem to exist at all. This House is a valuable resource in terms of considering the environment, and that is the purpose of my amendment. Any progress on this front on Report Stage would make most Senators on all sides happy.