Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The links to the Holy See have not been broken, severed or cut. The Secretary General at the Department of Foreign Affairs is a fully accredited ambassador to the Holy See. The issue is that he is no longer resident in Rome. However, he is fully accredited and there are normal and good relationships with the Holy See.

On the issue of mobility aids, everybody in this House would share the Deputy's anxiety that every assistance possible be given to persons with disabilities. The Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, has told me there is a contingency fund of €2 million available for this, so perhaps if the Deputy submitted a request to the appropriate Minister, some of that could be allocated to his part of the world.

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