Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I join with all sides of the House in expressing deepest sympathy to the Donohoe family, to the Garda Síochána as a body of fine men and women, as well as in condemning unreservedly the callous murder of a servant of Ireland, who appears to have been an absolutely wonderful human being. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam. I also wish to be associated with the expressions of sympathy to the late Mrs. Henry, Senator Henry's mother, who was a wonderful woman. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a h-anam. In common with Senator Norris, I came into this House on the same day as did the late Senator de Buitléar, who was nominated to the then Seanad and who made a highly distinguished contribution during his time here.

As a member of the joint policing committees, JPCs, in both my native County Leitrim and County Sligo, I attended a meeting yesterday of the Leitrim JPC at which a discussion took place on a document that has been communicated by the Minister, Deputy Shatter, seeking proposals from the various JPCs nationwide on how best the aforementioned committees can more effectively represent community interests and consultation. At some point in the near future, the Leader might consider having a debate on that particular document in the light of the proposals in the Putting People First programme of local government reform of the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Hogan, under which a revised or reconfigured JPC will be operating. It might be useful for all sides of the House to have a debate on this issue and to establish the Minister's thinking in this regard. I am unsure whether there would be a need to further discuss it further with the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Hogan. I would be grateful were there Leader to respond to that.

Finally, I commend the remarks of my friend and colleague, Senator O'Neill, in respect of the commemoration of Holocaust Memorial Day. I have visited a number of the concentration camps in Germany and Poland and have seen at first hand the horrors of the Nazi killing machine. Moreover, in the company of Senator O'Neill, I recently visited the German Bundestag, at which there is a memorial to democratically elected MPs who also perished in the Holocaust. As parliamentarians, Members should remember they gave the ultimate sacrifice in the preservation and protection of democratic traditions. However, I commend Senator O'Neill on continuing what has been a proud tradition in this House of recording the Holocaust memorial weekend.