Donie Cassidy (Fianna Fail)

There will be an all-day debate on the economy on Friday. I have no difficulty in allowing sufficient time for all Members to make a contribution. It will be an open-ended debate and the Minister will be in the Chamber for most of the day. I urge all Members to make a contribution to this important debate. The least we can do, having seen the significant changes that have taken place, is to come into the House and assist the Government, the Minister and his departmental officials in putting forward proposals.

Senators O'Toole, Daly, Keaveney, Coghlan and Ó Domhnaill welcomed the decision of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Noel Dempsey, and the Minister of State at that Department, Deputy Noel Ahern, to secure the Valentia and Malin marine rescue centres, as well as the centre in Dublin, and to allocate €2.5 million for necessary refurbishments to those facilities. Given the vast quantities of drugs being intercepted along our coastline, or floating in the water close to our shores, this is one of the best decisions to be made for some time. I congratulate all Senators who raised this issue with me in recent months. It is good to see the youngest Member of the House, Senator Daly, taking the lead on this issue for the benefit of his constituents. He did not pronounce on this issue in a boastful manner——