Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to express my sadness at the untimely death of Nicky McFadden. She was a great friend to me and will be missed. I have missed her for a long time, such was the isolating nature of the disease. She had a beautiful quality in her voice and, sadly, it was the first thing that motor neurone disease attacked in Nicky. The greatest tribute we could pay to her is to continue her legacy in research for motor neurone disease to get a cure for the disease.

In Fine Gael we were the only two females from the country who joined the Seanad in 2007 and out of that we struck up a great friendship. She fought hard for her constituents whom she loved, whether in Athlone or in the Seanad. Jobs and people's lives mattered to Nicky. I recall when she spoke here about the heartache she felt having come upon a family who had no light and were living in darkness because they were trying to pay their mortgage. Jobs mattered a great deal to her.

If I could speak for her today, I am sure she would support me in the call to protect the 700 jobs at risk in Elverys Sports, two shops in Athlone and one in Galway. The business is viable but the jobs are at risk. I am aware that an understanding examiner, Mr. Simon Coyle, is in situ. The only bid that is committed to saving the jobs is a management buy-out. I ask the Leader to ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Richard Bruton, to support the management buy-out bid in order to save those 700 jobs. I am sure that if Nicky was here she would support that call.