Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail)

I join others in congratulating Senator Paschal Mooney on his return to the Seanad. I knew him for many years while I was a county councillor and I always believed he presented a positive and professional image of the Seanad. He will continue doing so.

Those of us involved in party politics know that loyalty is easy when one is winning, but not so easy when one is not winning. Despite the fact that Senator Mooney accrued more than 40,000 votes and might not have been treated in the most tender fashion by his party, he stayed loyal. I am delighted he has reaped the reward for this and for his abilities.

Will the Leader raise a matter with the Minister for Transport and, if necessary, ask him to appear in the House for a debate on safety procedures at Dublin Airport? In recent days, a number of incoming flights needed to be diverted to Belfast and elsewhere. A small number of landings needed to be aborted virtually at the last minute. I am informed this is due to the airport's low-visibility fog system not working effectively. During slack periods late at night and early in the morning, groundworks were carried out on some of the runways. When freezing fog is the norm, safety should always be first and development works on runways should be second. I believe my information is correct and I experienced one of the flights in question. Will the Leader raise this issue with the Minister as a matter of urgency?

I agree with Senator O'Malley's remarks concerning the Minister for Health and Children. There was a resounding silence to the recent good news, but the Minister has been pilloried for the past ten years.