Mark Wall (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State. I will not take up too much time as I am anticipating his reply, which we all await. I thank my Green Party colleagues for bringing forward this important Bill. My colleague, Senator Moynihan, spoke at length about our support of the Bill on Second Stage.

Senator Pauline O'Reilly spoke about the comments of the former President, Ms Mary Robinson. They were important comments and are apt for this debate today and the fact that we are on Committee Stage. We have heard the words "action now" and "crisis" previously, but this is an attempt by my Green Party colleagues to introduce something practical for our communities, schools and, most importantly, the agricultural community. It is an important Bill and an important step forward. I look forward to supporting it. As I said previously, the cost of insurance, the cost of diesel and so forth for communities, community buildings and the farming community are rising but here is something we can give back to them. Most importantly, I look forward to a positive reply from the Minister of State.