The Senator brings a heightened sense of justice to the Seanad, and an absolute commitment to fairness, equality and diversity. For that reason, I am extremely proud to second Victor. He is an exemplar of all of the qualities that are essential for a Cathaoirleach of this august House.

I second the amendment.

I second the amendment.

I just want to echo Senator Dooley’s concerns about the shooting incidents last night. I am from Finglas originally and I grew up there. It is a great community. It is not the set of “Love/Hate”. It is a real community with real people. We should be appalled, as legislators, at the casual manner in which a 21-year-old was shot in a car on Cardiffsbridge Road - and then the killing of a man in Ronanstown in Clondalkin last night. According to initial reports, six to eight shots were discharged in rapid succession. A…

On Romania's national day, I say buna ziua to the ambassador. I have a connection with Romania. Both Senator Norris and I are related to Bram Stoker, who wrote Dracula .

We have a metaphorical, if not literal, blood connection to Romania. I have spent a good deal of time in places like Timioara and Bucharest. It is a beautiful country.

I am indeed. Saturday, 3 December is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. I ask all Members, when they are at their parliamentary party meetings, to press upon their leaders to commit to ratifying all the protocols, including the optional protocol of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, next year. In any event, it must happen during the term of this Government, which hopefully will last longer than that. Sadly, and for shame, Ireland remains one of the worst places in the EU …

I thank the Leader very much.

I move: That Seanad Éireann: notes: - that Ireland's military neutrality: - - not being members of an international military alliance - has been and remains a central and invaluable component of our foreign policy since the foundation of the State; - underpins our international status as an independent and impartial voice for peace and the de-escalation of armed conflict and the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction throughout the world; - - in tandem with our incredible global diaspora - contributes to …

I thank the Minister for coming to the Chamber for this important debate. I hope it will involve an exchange of light rather then heat. Far too often, when we discuss Ireland's military neutrality, it can be quite polarising because it is an emotive and emotional issue. My position on the matter and that of the Minister probably are not that far removed from each another. I hope this debate can be the beginning of an important conversation that will benefit the Republic as we move forward. We are in a very febrile …

And the students of Trinity College.

I thank the Minister for his candour and his frank responses. All present would agree on his sincerity in respect of these matters. I appreciate the efforts he is making to reinvest in the Defence Forces. I will briefly address some of the contributions that were made.

I will not take long.

Senator Wilson referred to our track record in peacekeeping. We do not do just peacekeeping. In the late 1990s we did peacekeeping for the UN. Now we do peacekeeping and peace enforcement for the UN, NATO and the European Union when there is a UN Security Council mandate. We have participated in missions in places such as Afghanistan and Kosovo. I appreciate the moral offence that members of his party who have expressed a desire to join NATO take from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and their desire to be a part of t…

-----the repatriation of downed Royal Air Force pilots. Our neutrality is a complex thing. There is so much emotion invested in it but it is very important. Churchill and De Valera agreed a plan, namely, Plan W, which provided that in the event of a German invasion involving those two army groups, the British and Irish armies would unite and form a front west to east, from Galway to Dublin, and advance south to contact to push the Germans out. That would have had horrific consequences for the country and we are tha…

It is with a heavy heart that I raise the issue of ongoing sexual harassment, sexual assault and sexual violence in our armed forces. It has been brought to my attention in recent days that female personnel, who have been targeted in this way in our armed forces, on settlement of their claims have been obliged to sign non-disclosure agreements. This is a particularly toxic phenomenon given the long-standing nature of this very serious issue in our Defence Forces. We have been aware of these issues now for 22 years.…

Hear, hear.

I thank the Minister for coming today. I want to make a brief appeal to her. I have received a number of representations from disabled artists and like every other artist in the country, they want to have a meaningful and self-supporting role in society and to contribute meaningfully to Irish cultural life and Irish art. However they face steep challenges. Without going into too much detail, Ireland, sadly, is a difficult place in which to have a disability. One in five persons with disabilities in Ireland experien…

Hear, hear.

Hear, hear.