Ivana Bacik (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am sure all colleagues will want to join with me in expressing our condolences on the plane crash that occurred just this morning, with some 150 people reported to have been killed in a crash over the French Alps on a flight from Barcelona to Dusseldorf. It is very sad news indeed.

I ask the Leader for a debate at some point on the issue of undocumented migrants. It was very good to see how successful the St. Patrick's Day events around the world were and how well received generally were the Irish Ministers and visitors. However, as the Taoiseach was raising the very important issue of the undocumented Irish in the US with President Barack Obama, the Migrant Rights Centre was highlighting the plight of undocumented migrants living in Ireland who may have been living and working here for many years, but who are undocumented to the extent that they do not have legal papers and legal permissions. A proposal was put before the justice committee in February by the Migrant Rights Centre to regularise the position of the undocumented migrants here in Ireland. This is something we could usefully debate in the House, perhaps while also debating the plight of the undocumented Irish living in the US, for whom we all hope there will be some resolution.I would also welcome a debate on child care which, along with a number of other colleagues, I have called for on a number of occasions. I note in today's edition of The Irish Timesan article regarding a study which makes some important findings around child care, particularly the high levels of child care provided informally by grandparents, which will be of great interest to all of us. According to that study, 42% of child care is being provided by grandparents. The study also shows the relatively low level of women's participation in the workforce and the relatively high levels of women who remain in the home, which is another issue we might usefully debate. This is particularly notable in Ireland as compared to our European neighbours.

I commend all those who took part in attempting to view the solar eclipse on Monday. I was one of the thousands of people who gathered in the Front Square in Trinity College hoping to catch a glimpse of the Sun being almost entirely covered by the Moon. We were not so lucky on the east coast. I think west coast viewers were luckier. It was a remarkable event. What was really remarkable was the level of public interest in the science, physics and astronomy around the event, which bodes well for the future of science and science research in Ireland.