Donie Cassidy (Fianna Fail)

Senators Fitzgerald, O'Toole, Bacik, Boyle, Coffey, Ó Murchú, Prendergast, Buttimer and Feeney expressed their views on the new report from the Ombudsman on services for the elderly. It is an independent report, as has been said, and the colleagues outlined to the House the difficulty the Minister may have had regarding the legal opinion from the Attorney General. I have no difficulty in the House debating this, and I will endeavour to have such a debate in the next few weeks because reports of this kind form an area in which we can have a significant input. We owe it to the generation that created the Ireland of today. Looking after our elderly is something all Members on all sides of the House owe to that generation. We will certainly have that debate in the next few weeks.

Senators O'Toole, Coghlan, Buttimer, Cummins, Norris, Mooney, O'Reilly, Hanafin and Mullen paid tribute to the men and women of the First World War and the way it is celebrated on Remembrance Day. They spoke also about all the families who had to make the sacrifices at that time. I have no difficulty in supporting the calls made by Members on all sides of the House to honour those who died between 1914 and 1918 and also to remember those who played such a major role for our own country at that time, especially the men and women of 1916. I have no difficulty in getting together to see what we can do to make our contribution to acknowledge the heroic efforts made at that time by those who fought in the war.

Senators O'Toole, Coffey, MacSharry, Walsh, Buttimer, Feeney, Ross, Donohoe, Healy Eames, Twomey and Hanafin expressed their concerns about the Croke Park agreement. The agreement has been a marvellous achievement by everyone who made it possible, but Kieran Mulvey let the nation know today that a huge amount of work must take place in the coming months. Anyone who knows him will be aware that he is a conciliatory person who has made a significant contribution to Ireland in terms of various agreements. I have full confidence in Kieran Mulvey.