Marcella Corcoran Kennedy (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for attending this meeting. Having listened to his presentation, I fully support the proposed investment. It is critical in the light of the suspicious activity taking place in our society. Children are finding suspicious devices - it does not matter whether they are viable - in playgrounds and on waste ground. It is in all our interests and of safety that the Defence Forces have the expertise to deal with them. For that reason, I support the proposal before the committee.

With the indulgence of the Chair, I take the opportunity afforded by the presence of the Minister to commend the wonderful women in the Navy and the Army who were on parade in Glasnevin Cemetery this morning at the Cumann na mBan commemoration. It was wonderful to see and they are a credit to us all. As a citizen and a parliamentarian, I was very proud of the female members of the Defence Forces, and their male colleagues, who were in attendance. We should all be proud of them. I would like the Department to convey our thoughts to them because they deserve to be acknowledged. I think we take their work for granted.