Grace O'Sullivan (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I will take the opportunity to talk about Tramore, Waterford and the south east. In that regard, there is a lot to like in the published plan with Waterford being recognised as the capital of the south east and as an urban centre with huge potential for job creation. The north quays strategic development zone regeneration project offers the prospect of a serious injection of new life into the city of Waterford, as well as the improvement of our public infrastructure and transport services and the harnessing of significant new green energy resources. I have full confidence in the CEO of our local authority, Michael Walsh, and his team to ensure that this development is carried out to the benefit of the people of Waterford, of the region and, in turn, of the nation.

I also want to particularly highlight the commitment to the linking up of the Waterford Greenway with Waterford Institute of Technology, WIT, and the city centre. Members of the Green Party in Waterford have long advocated for this. I ask that the Minister of State go even further and deliver greater linkages with a blueway along the River Suir in Waterford, which passes Cheekpoint, Passage East, Dunmore East and then goes on the Tramore and the Copper Coast. We have a huge and great resource such as we see with the Great Western Greenway on the west coast. We have a great coastal environment in Ireland and the south east really has something to offer which would not only deliver for rural areas, but also provide great opportunities for tourism. We believe that such a connection would be a very positive development and would go some way to spreading the benefits of the Waterford Greenway to areas that have not enjoyed them so far.One other aspect of the plan is the status of Waterford Institute of Technology. The plan states that the objective is the development and expansion of the city's third level institution and integration with the city and region. Reference is also made to the proposals for the creation of a technological university. Where will that be located? Could it be located in Waterford city? With the infrastructural changes proposed in the project, it seems like common sense that Waterford and the extensive Waterford Institute of Technology campus would have primary consideration. The Minister of State might be aware that we have been working with the Minister of State, Deputy Mitchell O'Connor, to seek to amend the proposal contained in the Technological Universities Bill as I believe as currently configured, the eligibility criteria for new universities is too lax and would constitute a dilution in standards for our university sector. I have been supported in this view by very many senior academics from existing universities who agree that the definition of research students as laid out in the Bill is entirely new and foreign. How we can offer up the new technological universities as serving a role as hubs of innovation and entrepreneurship for the regions if they are not to aim for higher standards than the current constituent parts? This is really important because there is no point in having a branding exercise with these technological universities. They must be of the highest standard.

The sustainable development goals, SDGs, are noted at the beginning of Project Ireland 2040. This is an important aspect of the framing of the project. The SDGs constitute a comprehensive vision not just for Irish society but also for Ireland's place on the global stage. The agreement includes clear targets and indicators against which we must measure our progress. I am disappointed that the SDGs are not mainstreamed throughout this document as they relate to almost every aspect of what is set out in Project Ireland 2040. It would involve using one framework along with the Project Ireland 2040 framework to provide synergy and add value to the document. I believe that one of the key ways we can ensure that Project Ireland 2040 is coherent with the broader aims of the SDGs is through the processes of public procurement. We must make full use of the scope that is available within European procurement laws to include environmental, social and health clauses in tenders and contracts and to promote the highest standards in labour law. I would ask the Minister of State to indicate his intentions regarding public procurement clauses and their use in the achievement of the broader aims of SDGs.

Marine spatial planning has received considerable consideration in Project Ireland 2040, which is to be welcomed. This is one area of the plan I was excited to see. It finally provides greater certainty for those engaged in harnessing our coastal natural resources in a sustainable manner. Marine spatial planning is an important approach to ensuring that such activities take place in a co-ordinated and careful manner, which allows for future generations to enjoy these opportunities and preserves the often delicate ecological balance of our coastal region. With that in mind, I met the Bantry Bay kelp forest campaign group at the gates of Leinster House today. They have been appealing to the Government against the decision for a potentially unsustainable mechanical harvesting of kelp seaweed that is scheduled to take place in Bantry Bay. No environmental impact statement has been carried out in respect of this project. This harvesting decision is partly as a result of our out-of-date, unfair and unsustainable foreshore licensing system, a system that has been decried in here and in the Dáil today. We see the cross-border damage done by legal and illegal trawling while small producers are excluded from the market by inflexible and unfair rules. I know that the Government has been talking about changes to the foreshore licensing system for many years now but I want to know what progress has been made on this front and how will it fit in with the plans for a full marine spatial plan for Ireland as a member of the EU. Trying to get a foreshore licence as a small business is next to impossible.

This is the eve of International Women's Day 2018. I hope that by the time this plan reaches fruition, we will see a 50% gender balance here in the Irish Parliament in both the Seanad and the Dáil.