With respect to the tweet from Senator Keogan, it is clear that Senator Malcolm Byrne does not understand the meaning of the term "technical group". Senator Keogan does not speak for me or for any of my colleagues. We speak independently of one another, we have our own views and our own minds. I do not subscribe to the tweet that was put out by Senator Keogan. Mr. Drew Harris, one of the people mentioned in it, is an Irish man in every sense of the word. Senator McDowell referred to Robert Watt's appearance before …

Absolutely and I have not said he lied. I said that if it is shown that the system was not hacked, then he can be accused of lying. Time and again Secretaries General have been called before Oireachtas committees. In the case of the Joint Committee on Transport, of which I am a member, the Secretary General of the Department of Transport has refused to come before the committee. It is time these people were brought to heel. They are answerable to this House and it is time we made them bloody well answerable. I will…

The Minister is welcome to the House. I congratulate him on bringing this Bill forward. At the outset, I will remark on the work of our library service in providing excellent briefing material. I compliment the joint Oireachtas committee that sat and deliberated on this issue and I remember those parents who adopted and fostered children. In many case, in fact in most cases, they were not demons. They were genuine decent people. Fifty years ago was the first time I encountered a young woman in Galway who was pregna…

We as a society owe the women. The Acting Chairperson is looking at me to tell me that my time is coming to an end.

I ask the Minister to let sense prevail. My colleague Senator Boyhan is correct that this is the revising House. We have an opportunity to get this right. Senator Doherty said it a few moments ago. Everyone who has spoken today has said it. Let us pause for a moment. Let us get it right. Let us work together. The Minister has done a fantastic job so far. Let us get it 100% right. I think the Minister has the courage to do that and I ask him to do so.

We should, on remembering the visit of Joe Biden here to Leinster House, remark on the wonderful job that was done by the staff of Leinster House, and how everything ran so smoothly within the House. The Cathaoirleach's speech was exceptional, and I congratulate you. It was a very well delivered and poignant speech in its own way, and I would like to compliment you. With respect to the Civil Service, civil servants have served this country well over its 100 years. Sadly however, at the very top of the Civil Service…

I express my deep appreciation to Noel Murphy for his work on the committee and as Superintendent. He will be sorely missed. His good humour and pleasant way are remarkable. He is a lovely man, one of life's great gentlemen. We will miss him. We will miss him at the count as well because he always got it right on the labour panel, at least when he was counting my votes. We will miss that. This is the first time I have had an opportunity to speak since the horrendous report on the Defence Forces and, in particular, …

A Chathaoirligh, you and I and other Members of this House and the Dáil attended the Interparliamentary Union last week where historic outcomes in peaceful coexistence and cybercrime were agreed. We frequently have a crack at one another in this House because of different political ideology, etc. Along with the Cathaoirleach, Senator Clifford-Lee of Fianna Fáil, a member of the Green Party, Senator Róisín Garvey, and Deputy Denis Naughten attended. I want to place on record the pride I have in the people I travelle…

Senator Garvey's chairmanship of the committee on climate was so impressive that people have demanded that she be brought back to the next assembly to chair a committee. Senator Clifford-Lee's chairmanship of a committee got a similar warm welcome. It is wonderful to travel with colleagues and to see Ireland, a tiny little country, held in such high esteem. I want to compliment the officials on the work that was done there. Nothing was left to chance. Everything was well prepared, we knew where we were going, we kn…

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Burke, for attending. Today, I am following up on a reply from the Minister for Health to a parliamentary question last October, in which he said his Department was considering a proposal to establish a working group to assist in the development of an updated strategy that addresses the hearing needs of the Irish population. I am grateful for the great advocacy work of those in Chime Ireland, who have brought this urgent matter to my attention and who do great work in this area…

The Acting Chair is very observant. He can figure out where people are from by just looking at them.

The Minister of State will have noticed that I am wearing headphones. I suffer badly from hearing loss and I can tell him it is the most frustrating disability. In crowded spaces I find I do not quite pick up on what people say and sometimes I get the wrong message. My wife reminded me that one time in a crowded gathering I was answering questions I had not been asked. It was an interesting observation on her part. For elderly people who are damned with this curse of hearing loss, there is nothing worse. Everything…

Pardon?

I thank the Minister of State. I am sure many in here would be delighted if I were on the periphery of conversations.

Some time ago I reported that one of our CHC helicopters was forced to land on Valentia Island. Some weeks ago, one of our helicopters was forced to make an emergency landing in Derry, and I understand that, last night, Rescue 115 was forced to land off the coast of Clifden. I have brought up the issue of this organisation several times in this House, and I am very concerned it may be operating without qualified technicians. I asked for the Minister to come to the House and I think the Leader was trying to get the …

I ask that the Leader raise that with Government to ensure we get the people who are answerable.

Like my colleagues, I congratulate the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, and the European Union on the wonderful negotiations that led to the Windsor agreement. We should also congratulate Sinn Féin on the measured response it issued yesterday and the unionists who have come forward to say this is a great day. I hope that those who are still struggling with it will find a way forward. Friday is World Hearing Day. It is no secret that I suffer quite badly from hearing loss. Hearing loss is horrific for anybody wh…

Private Seán Rooney gave his life in the service of peace. Immediately after that, the following appeared in a newspaper: Sure, what do you do at work? What does a soldier do? Why do we even need an Army? What it means to be an Irish soldier has been shown today by a 23-year-old lad from Dundalk, when he stood up and, in typical military style, joined the stand taken by his father before him, and his Uncles, and like all within the job, he took a stand to say “I will be there”. An Irish soldier will be there and ha…

I appreciate that but this is important. Private Seán Rooney gave his life in the service of peace and we are watching our Defence Forces collapse around us.

The numbers are under 8,000 now.