I thank the Minister of State for coming to the Seanad for the debate. There are very few occupations in this country where a person goes out to work and is never sure whether he or she will come home or, as my colleague, Senator McDowell, has pointed out, whether he or she may come home with a broken leg and that may only be the outward symbol of what happened. There are vicious attacks every day of the week on members of An Garda Síochána. In 2020, more than 200 such attacks took place. A significant number of me…

I want to raise two things this morning. The first one is my long-suffering search and rescue tender process that is under way. The pre-qualification questionnaire, PQQ, has been issued and the PQQ date has passed. However, I believe an entirely new PQQ has to be issued because the Irish Aviation Authority, IAA, issued an instruction to CHC, the current incumbent, to change its shift cycle from a 24-hour cycle to a 12-hour one. This means it will have to possibly double the number of crews it has. That will have a …

Hear, hear. Well said.

In recent days, I have written to all Members of the House considering the issue of neutrality and the discussion on neutrality that has raged in this House for as long as I have been a Member. I have never accepted that Ireland is a neutral country and, although there is never a good time to have this discussion, we must have it now. For the moment, we decided to provide assistance to one of the belligerents involved in the current engagement. By the way, I am 100% supportive of what has been done for Ukraine and …

The Cathaoirleach's mastery of language never ceases to amaze.

The ambassador is welcome to the House today. It is amazing that it took a war in Ukraine to bring us all so close together. I hope that closeness continues. I express my thanks to the Irish Air Corps for going the extra mile and flying to Romania yesterday to bring home parents and their surrogate children. People have said things about the Air Corps in this place, about it not being regulated and this, that and the other, but when it is required to step up to the plate, it always steps up to the plate. Irish neut…

Ireland and its Governments have basked in the mistaken belief that as a small island nation no one would ever want to hurt us, with the mantra of how we box above our weight and our marvellous reputation as peacekeepers from a neutral state allowing us to take the high moral ground on the international stage. Countless Ministers over the years have spoken of our neutrality. Indeed, some have referred to Ireland's neutrality and our military non-alignment in the same sentence, not realising that these two positions…

Hear, hear. Well said.

I support everything Senator Boyhan said in respect of local authorities. I was sitting in my office listening to Senator Ruane. Many people have spoken about her community today. Senator Ruane's community is my community. A person I loved dearly died because of addiction. It is the most horrible death. It is not something you will only find in the poorer areas of society. You will find it in every single corner of society and you will see it destroy families. I have seen it destroy some of the finest people I have…

I first want to remark on the fact that representatives of the Uyghur community were in Leinster House today. It is a testament to the Seanad that we are not afraid to recognise and bring into the House people from any community anywhere in the world who are being subjected to horrendous treatment. I also welcome the Lord Mayor of Cork. It is always a pleasure to see him in the House. I know the Leader has an interest in issues relating to aviation. She must be aware of the change in the law that took effect on 1 J…

On Sunday last, an Chéad Chathlán Coisithe i nDún Uí Mhaoilíosa i nGaillimh held its commemoration of 100 years. I want to pay some respect to my colleagues: Senator Kyne, who is here; Senator Crowe; and Deputies Ó Cuív and Grealish. Their attendance at that parade was greatly appreciated by all. Soldiers in Galway know they have support in this House and in the Lower House and that is important. Some time ago I spoke about how politics in this country, and particularly the massive portfolios our Ministers have, is…

I welcome the first responders. Few of the Members who have spoken here this afternoon know what it is like to wake up at 5 a.m. with a pain in your chest as if you had just been hit by a bus. I have had that experience. I spent two years from 1999 to 2001 carefully assessing everywhere I went outside Dublin to see if there was a hospital close by. I cannot begin to tell Members the fear you feel when you get a pain in your chest. In December 1999, several months after having stents fitted, I remember getting a pai…

I appreciate the Cathaoirleach letting me speak this afternoon. I want to report a new form of cyberattack that is taking place. I have just been the subject of one. I got a message from AIB on the AIB telephone number this morning, telling me that my card had been used in Manchester and asking me to log on and put my details through. After I looked at the first page, I said that it was not right and rang AIB's fraud department. It is a fraudulent text message, which is going out all over the place. It looks and fe…

I had not intended to speak on this Bill. I welcome the Minister to the House. There are two or three provisions in this legislation that are reasonably good. For many years, I have listened to people outside talking about us living in a bubble in here, totally removed from real society. How many people sitting round the Cabinet table or in this House have ever experienced real poverty? I mean people who could not even put a slice of bread on the table. I remember one time in my life having three beetroots and a sl…

My good friend and colleague, the late Senator, Feargal Quinn, welcomed my two grand-daughters, Ellie and Isabel, into the world when they were born. He is not here today so I have to welcome Alice, who was born into the world at 5 p.m. yesterday and wish her the best as she travels through the world.

The Commission on the Future of the Defence Forces has reported. I know the Acting Leader, Senator O'Loughlin, will have an interest in that today. One of the things that can happen straight away is that they can follow through on the recommendation that the Permanent Defence Forces Representative Association, PDFORRA, and the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers, RACO, if it wishes, can now affiliate to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. The quicker that happens the better. I have held my counsel o…

I need to correct the record of the House from yesterday. A statement was made yesterday that the Air Corps is not regulated-----

I did not have the information yesterday when the statement was made.

Do I have the right to raise an issue that brought my good name into question yesterday?

I appreciate that.