Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Fianna Fáil group, I welcome and thank Senator Clonan for his very generous words coming into this House, that is, that he wants to work with everyone. I can assure him that there is that spirit of collegiality within this House. Senator Clonan has been a tireless campaigner on disability issues and we want to work with him to ensure that all citizens in this State are treated equally. I appreciate that he is joining two excellent Senators from Trinity College, although I will say that this will not prevent us from seeking to enact the seventh amendment, move to extend the Seanad franchise much more broadly and engage in Seanad reform. However, I look forward to working with him, as do my colleagues.

Déanaim comhghairdeas le Raidió na Gaeltachta ar 50 bliain de chraoltóireacht. Is seirbhís an-tábhachtach sa tír seo í Raidió na Gaeltachta. The Government announced the basic income scheme for artists today. This is something about which a number of Senators have spoken. It is particularly welcome as a three-year pilot. I know the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media has been to the fore in arguing for this but I was very happy to see the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Minister talk about how this could be a real game changer for our artists and arts workers. Obviously we must see the detail of the scheme and I hope the Leader will facilitate statements or a debate around that. This country is rightly proud of its artistic tradition and its artists. Imaginative schemes like this can be transformative. I believe it has the potential to be one of the most creative and imaginative schemes since Charles Haughey introduced the tax exemption for artists during the 1960s. After two very difficult years for our arts community, we need to be able to continue to recognise the contribution it makes and support it, particularly during the fallow periods.

The other issue I wish to raise is the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC, where it made it very clear that it is now or never in terms of the action we need to take. We will increasingly see populist rhetoric around not facing up to dealing with our obligations on the climate. We cannot get away from the fact that climate change remains the biggest existential threat we face. We cannot ignore the findings of the IPCC report. I ask that we have a full debate on this issue. I know it is an issue we have spoken about previously but in terms of European energy security, it once again strengthens the case that it is better for us to have Irish wind rather than Russian oil or gas.