Frances Fitzgerald (Fine Gael)

Members of the Garda and the Army were out in dreadful conditions in the early hours of the morning trying to deal with the materials the people in question were carrying around the country. As has been clearly shown, they have no support. We want to give the Garda and the Army every possible support to deal with the dissidents who are endangering the lives of others, including gardaí and members of the Defence Forces.

I want to comment on what the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, said yesterday in a childish and self-pitying way. Given the privileged position he occupies, to use the grossly offensive language he used against the most marginalised group in the country, those suffering mental health difficulties, including words such as "asylum"-----