The Senator will be going out in the general election, telling people one thing and then doing another thing.

I have a lot more experience in the greyhound industry than the Senator.

Senator Ahearn mentioned Councillors McManus and Lynch. Councillor Lynch's father and family are from Cork which has been the home of a number of Irish greyhound champions. I come from a family that supports and has had greyhounds. I know the work that is done and the care given to our greyhounds in the industry by those involved on the ground. I can vouch for those men and women. The industry has changed, but our horse racing, our breeding, our thoroughbreds, our jockeys, our owners, our trainers and our horses ar…

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, to the House, in particular, as Senator Conway said, on international disability day. It is important and appropriate that today we pay tribute to Senator Conway on his work and advocacy on disability matters.

Today is an important day. I also said this on Wednesday when the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, was in the House. In a way, it is a bit like Groundhog Day. Many people thought in March 2020 we would be out of Covid-19 by the summer or Christmas. We are here again on the edge of the following Christmas. It amazes me that the experts know everything. They can pontificate on everything. They can ride both horses. They are never wrong. They are always right. Go back to what it says in the newspapers this mornin…

That one is particularly good. I respect the fact that the Minister for Health is in the Lower House and cannot be here as he does not have the gift of bilocation. The Minister of State is his very willing and able replacement.

I am glad that the Cabinet sub-committee is meeting today. I ask the members of the Cabinet to make their decision based on the recommendation of NPHET sooner rather than later because of what will happen. On Saturday, Sunday and Monday we will have every genius again pontificating and driving people daft. I say that with respect because I do not know all of the science. I also accept that NPHET and NIAC have a job to do, as does the Government. We who are conscious of human and civil rights do not want to be here …

Hear, hear.

Today is World AIDS Day. We must as a country, collectively and individually, continue to remove the stigma associated with HIV and AIDS. We must also do so in the world of sport, where a parallel exercise is necessary. I ask for a debate in this House, and with the Government, on the criteria used in the selection of host countries for major sporting events, such as the Olympics and FIFA World Cup. It is time we stopped rewarding countries that continue to deny human rights and where members of the LGBTQ+ communit…

That is not fair.

Be fair now. That is not fair.

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Brophy. I ask, not in a discordant manner but in a friendly one, that Senator Mullen withdraw his remarks and the inference attached regarding former Members. It does not serve us well in the debate. There is much more that binds us than disunites us. I respectfully ask Senator Mullen in this context to do so.

I appreciate that.

The Acting Chairperson did a very good job in intervening. To be fair, in his own right Senator Mullen would be justified in standing up and lambasting some of us if we did what he did. This is a very important motion. The world stands at a crossroads. This week, The New York Times had a very interesting article on China, Taiwan and the growing closeness between Europe and the Taiwanese people. This is about being sensitive to the needs of all of us in the world in the context of upholding human rights. I support t…

-----on which we should all reflect in the fullness of time. For far too long, there has been a hands-off policy and a policy of keeping Europe and Taiwan at arm's length by European governments. Thankfully, that is changing. Senator Conway spoke about President Biden and relations with Taiwan. There comes a time in the affairs of men and women where we must stand up. We have made reference to Beijing and the Winter Olympics. The corporate world is turning a blind eye to abuses of human rights. Minorities are being…

I welcome the Minister to the House and thank him for attending this important debate. Yet again we are at a crossroads in the context of Covid-19. It is a bit like Groundhog Day with a recurring pandemic that continues to baffle eminent immunologists and virologists. We must certainly keep our guard up. I endorse the remarks made by my colleague and friend, Senator Burke, about the hospitality sector. The Minister is very much aware of the need for us to continue our supports for the hospitality sector. We know we…

I ask the Leader to facilitate a debate on our foreign affairs policy as a matter of urgency. In particular, I want a debate about the foreign affairs policy of the European Union regarding the secret prisons in Libya that are keeping migrants out of the European Union. A number of interesting articles have been published by journalists with the Outlaw Ocean Project at The New Yorker and on NBC about the European Union funding Libya in the context of the Libyan coast guard preventing migrants coming to the European…

That is correct.

On a point of clarification, is the Minister of State the last speaker?

That is fine.