Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)

As full confirmation had not been provided yesterday, I waited until today to extend my sympathy. It is in order to do so. I extend sympathy to the parents of Garda Jones, John and Brenda; his brother, Alan, and sister, Michelle. His actions on the night in question in seeking to save lives were above and beyond the call of duty. I extend sympathy to his family, the Garda Commissioner and the Minister for Justice and Equality, as well as to the family of Cecila de Jesus, a Filipino care assistant, who also died tragically in the floods in Dublin.

I ask the Leader to arrange a debate on the closure of courthouses. I raise specifically the closure of Boyle courthouse which it is proposed to amalgamate with the District Court in Carrick-in-Shannon and Circuit Court in Roscommon. Fianna Fáil Party Councillors John Cummins and Rachel Doherty from Boyle have raised this issue with me and are deeply concerned about the effect the closure will have on the town which is the capital of north Roscommon. The courthouse has operated since the foundation of the State and Boyle was the first town to elect an independent Sinn Féin candidate in the 1918 elections. The closure of the courthouse will be a major blow. I call on Deputy Frank Feighan to do something about this proposal. He could resign, as his colleague, Deputy Denis Naughten, did in response to the closure of the accident and emergency department in Roscommon County Hospital.