Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I want to raise two issues today. I wish to flag with the Acting Leader the possibility that we could have statements on a committee report on dog welfare. People will know that I regularly raise issues around dog welfare in the House. The Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine will produce a report next week which has nine powerful recommendations. I would welcome a debate on the report in the House.

I also wish to raise the fact that this Saturday is migratory bird day. The theme for this year is light pollution, something that is very close to my heart because we are seeing a proliferation of LED billboards around Dublin city. One in Rathmines made the airwaves recently because of how bright it is. These billboards have an impact on migrating birds. Ireland lies on the east Atlantic flyway for migrating birds. Natural darkness has a conservation value to them in the same way as clean water, air and soil. This year's migratory birds day is to raise awareness of light pollution and its negative impact on those birds. We know it is increasing, with the number of artificially lit outdoor areas rising by 2.2% per year from 2012 to 2016.

There are solutions to reducing light pollution, which include ensuring that environmental impact assessments are conducted for projects that can result in light pollution. Some cities have taken the step of banning LED billboards and are looking at the type of public lighting they have. We need to update outdoor lights to ensure they are fully shielded so that the light shines down rather than up towards the sky. We need to invest in lights that are on a timer and motion detector to reduce their overuse, as well as minimising blue light emissions by switching to warm coloured light bulbs. These are measures that I hope we will take on board in this country, given Ireland's importance as part of the pathway for migratory birds. We are in the middle of a biodiversity crisis. We have a citizens' assembly on it and we need to do everything we can to protect nature.