Sean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I presume the House would welcome President Clinton to Ireland today. He is in Derry at lunchtime to honour John Hume, he is then launching a new Clinton Institute at Queen's University Belfast this evening, and, of course, he is renewing his contacts to this country through the Cassidy family in Fermanagh. I propose to the Leader that we debate Northern Ireland. The peace process has to be worked at and we have not discussed it for some time. I also suggest it is again time to look at the issue of the absence of an American ambassador in this country since December 2012. Ireland and the United States have one of the closest international friendships in the world and it should be graced by an ambassador here. I do not know why the US authorities have been neglecting that important role.

I also note the views of Frank McDonald, a distinguished environmentalist and expert on buildings and architecture, that the ESB buildings near here, mentioned yesterday, should be restored as residences and that there are many available office blocks where the commercial aspects of what the ESB does in the Fitzwilliam Street could be carried out. It would be a better project to restore the residences on that street rather than have an office block behind a Georgian facade. I recall, a long time ago, when the then Minister, Erskine Childers was in charge of that area, he said the drawings that were presented to him of what those offices would look like differed a lot from what was constructed. I believe it is time for some vigilance to ensure that a piece of Dublin's Georgian mile can be restored in harmony with its surroundings.