Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I, too, want to be associated with the words of thanks to all our staff throughout the Oireachtas and wish them a happy break, not just away from us. I hope they actually get a break and take a bit of time for themselves. I agree with Senator Kyne on the All Island Strategic Rail Review, and the importance of that report being published. I appreciate and understand totally the issue with the lack of institutions in the North, but I think there is a willingness and understanding, right across the board, of the importance of the review being put out into the public domain in order for it to be worked on. It is important that we restitch our once-fantastic rail network across the country, which has fallen badly into decline. We have a really fortuitous opportunity to restitch our country through the rail network, with all of the economic and societal prosperity that I feel will flow from that. Following the publication of the report, and I hope it happens sooner rather than later, I ask that we set aside time for its discussion and analysis with the relevant Minister.

I also want to reflect on the Bill that passed Second Stage last week, which was drafted by my colleague, Senator Boylan, the Ban on Dumping New Products Bill 2022. I know everyone says his or her own legislation is important, and are right, but the fact that corporations are dumping and incinerating millions of new, perfectly good unused or returned items, sending them to landfill or incineration, is grotesque. France has shown that EU member states can act on this issue and can ban such practices. We need to work collaboratively across the House on the issue. It so time sensitive and of such importance that we have to get the legislation through the House. I hope we can do that in the new term.