Hear, hear.

Senator Ó Donnghaile has a safe seat.

It is from his own crowd.

On a point of information, is it possible for us as a House to send a message to the Ceann Comhairle to liaise on the motion that is being put before the House?

There should have been consultation. I am sorry I did not get an opportunity to sign the motion, but we should have had a discussion on it.

Thank you, a Leas-Chathaoirligh.

Hear, hear.

Hear, hear.

That might not happen. I propose that we as a House send a message of congratulations to the Tory MP, Jamie Wallis, who came out as transgender yesterday. On this very important International Transgender Day of Visibility, I, on behalf of the Fine Gael Party, say that we stand strong and firm in support of our transgender family and friends. It is important that we send that message today to Jamie Wallis, that we, as fellow parliamentarians, support her in her journey. I wish Jamie every joy, love and happiness in …

I ask that the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and the Minister of State from that Department come to the House for a debate on the criteria we as a nation use to select how we bid for the hosting of sporting events. I do so conscious Ireland withdrew from the bid to host the Americas Cup, which is a prestigious race. The decision is a shortsighted one and a missed opportunity. If there had been resolve from the Taoiseach and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to get this…

We missed that opportunity. We need to understand why this was not championed and put forward by Government the way the European soccer championship was - which I support. I ask we have that debate as a matter of urgency. It is important we get clarity and certainty that events not due to be held in Dublin will not be sacrificed. Ireland does not begin and end at the Red Cow.

Be it Cork, Clare, Galway, Kilkenny-----

-----Wexford or Dublin, it is immaterial. Ireland is Ireland. The four corners of our country should be supported. We missed an opportunity here and the Government should explain why.

Hear, hear.

I welcome the Minister of State. I commend my colleague and friend Senator Seery Kearney on tabling this important Private Members' motion. I welcome the opportunity to speak on it. It is critical that we facilitate the full integration of Ukrainian families into our communities. I want to address the issue of transport with regard to driving licences and the need for Ukrainian licence holders to be able to drive here. We do not have a licence exchange agreement with Ukraine. It is important that Europe not only ac…

I ask the Acting Leader to invite the Minister for Transport to the House to discuss the ongoing delays experienced by passengers at Dublin Airport as a matter of urgency. With the collapse of the aviation sector during the pandemic, we all accepted that there would be some recovery time needed but what passengers at Dublin Airport experienced last weekend was unacceptable. I appreciate that the Dublin Airport Authority is taking necessary steps in hiring and training the necessary staff but it is unbelievable that…

I second the proposal.

I commend all involved in the Daffodil Day fundraiser this morning and I hope everybody can support Daffodil Day tomorrow. As we know, the Irish Cancer Society provides huge support to families and people with cancer. I commend Averil Power and her team on the work they do. Today is also an auspicious day. In the audiovisual room we saw the launch of the home care providers alliance. For the first time all the carers organisations have come together to form an alliance. I ask the Acting Leader to facilitate a debat…

I wish to offer my sympathies to Senator Fitzpatrick. I was not aware when I made my earlier contribution. I had the pleasure of knowing Dermot, who was a gentleman. I wish her and her family my deepest sympathies.

The Minister of State is very welcome. I appreciate his being here. I know this is not his area of specialty as a Minister of State. The aviation industry and the hospitality sector have been decimated in the past two years. I welcome the opportunity with this Commencement matter to raise the need for an aviation and hospitality tourism recovery task force strategy. My Commencement matter is timely as the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation published data just this morning which show comparisons with 2019, three y…