Ms Grace O'Sullivan:

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach. I wish there was gender balance across both Houses and across local government in Ireland. I hope it is something we will strive towards. We must strive towards it as we need gender equality. It is very important.

I will begin by responding to Senator Malcolm Byrne. Reputation is everything. We do our best as members of the European Parliament to represent those who voted for us. As Mr. Kelleher said, we are living in a democracy. I would say that at times when I speak in the Parliament my colleagues here are cringing. We are there to represent our views. The specific point the Senator raised is interesting. No names were mentioned but I know what he was referring to. Sometimes within the MEPs' own political groups there might not be agreement with how some members vote and behave. I always like to strive toward working in collaboration. Perhaps following on from the Senator's point, there is a job for Irish MEPs to spend some time together and to discuss various issues.

Covid has been difficult and there is no doubt about it. We have not met in person. Formerly Mr. Kelly used to meet Irish delegations. We really have not had that opportunity. We had one meeting at which we were all together. It was convened by the former Commissioner, Phil Hogan. Mentioning Mr. Hogan, so much water has gone under the bridge since then. That was the only time we really met as a collective. As I have said, reputation is everything and at times it is important that we sing from the same hymn sheet. Others have their opportunities and their own sets of values. We can vote in certain ways and then we sit back and watch.

Senator Lombard mentioned the CAP. Everything we do, certainly in the parliamentary group of which the Green Party is a member, is in the context of the climate and biodiversity crisis. Inasmuch as we did not vote for the CAP because we did not feel it was ambitious enough in the context of the Paris Agreement, nevertheless there are very good initiatives within the biodiversity strategy set out by the European Commission and in the farm to fork strategy. We hope Ireland will take the best view on climate, biodiversity and supporting farmers. There is no doubt about this. I agree with Mr. Kelly. I have always said that farmers are the custodians of the land. They want the best but they may need to be supported in this regard within the context of rising greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity. It is very important that we recognise the context we are working in. For me having the Minister of State, Senator Hackett, at the table is very welcome given that her background is in running a family farm.

A just transition goes without saying. One of the areas on which I have worked very hard in recent months in the European Parliament is on a well-being economy in order that we move beyond GDP. We see that GDP and the way we are operating at present serve neither the people nor the planet. Other countries, such as New Zealand, Iceland and several others, are taking the lead in this regard. They are becoming well-being economies. They look at the well-being of the people and not just economic growth without the context of why we are trying to float our economy as high as we possibly can. We have to look at how we are doing it and not the why, and how it is impacting on people's health. From a Green perspective, we are looking at climate adaptation. Here in Ireland, it is a question of how do we adapt to rising sea levels and changing temperatures. How do we mitigate? We must also look at a circular economy and how we are doing business so we do not create waste just to dispose of it but that we create an environment where all resources are looked at in a circular fashion.

Another point that is very important for my group in the European Parliament is the area of production and consumption, how we produce things and how we consume. Something we are consuming at a very high rate is energy. It is not enough to say we will keep pumping in energy resources. We also have to look at how we can mitigate and work with citizens, particularly younger people who are leading the charge. They are saying to us we cannot sustain our lifestyles as we are doing and that we will have to reform. They are leading on this.We have to get in behind the young people in terms of consumption and drive down areas where there are inefficiencies. That is just a good business model. In regard to Senator Ahearn's region, both Mr. Kelly and Mr. Kelleher have spoken very well on that. Without a doubt there are significant opportunities in the Clare, Shannon and Tipperary region, as well as offshore. The potential of offshore renewable energy offers great opportunities.