Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Ba mhaith liom aontú leis na Seanadóirí atá tar éis iarraidh ar an Taoiseach leithscéal a ghabháil le mná na neachtlanna Mhaigdiléana tar éis don tuairisc a bheith foilsithe inné.

I also look forward at some stage in the future to the First Minister and Deputy First Minister from the North coming here for a debate in which they could elucidate for Senator O'Neill the difference between the RUC and the PSNI. That the two organisations stood shoulder to shoulder on the death of PSNI officers recently is a testament in itself.

I wish to air my disappointment that the Older and Bolder organisation will cease activities in the middle of this year. I appreciate that the funding for Older and Bolder has come from an outside source but it raises the issue of the state of play in the State regarding community and voluntary sector organisations. We are seeing a decay of those organisations as a result of the impact of austerity on them and on funding and it would be important that we have a debate on those community and voluntary sector organisations. In many cases they have been the voices crying out and organising rallies against the austerity budgets and some of the cuts that have been brought in. It is ironic that some of the more vocal groups are the ones that are going by the wayside at a time when we most need them.

It is ironic also that the Labour Party Senators are complaining this morning about the health budgets, etc., when they did not have much to say when the health budget was being put through the House before Christmas, but that stance will speak for itself.