Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I convey my very best wishes to Senator Jimmy Harte and I wish him all the best in his retirement. This is a hard day for the Senator because it was a proud moment for him when he was elected as a Member of the Oireachtas. We did not anticipate that he would not see out the term. We wish him well.

I am in a positive mood today and I would like to be positive about a few things. It was marvellous to see the Pope in Cuba and to see the exchange of embassies between the United States and Cuba of late. It is remarkable when one considers the foolishness of the past 40 years, when those two neighbouring countries that should have been close friends were actually at each other's throats for so long - so much so that they almost precipitated a nuclear war. It is a message to the major powers that the quicker they bury their differences and work together for the good of the entire global community, the better off we will all be.

According to recent reports, TG4 is finding it very difficult to make ends meet. Even with the Government grant last year, the station will probably be in deficit. TG4 deserves better than that. In the forthcoming budget, I would like to see a proper deontas for TG4. Lately, I was laid up and unable to attend the race meeting in my native Listowel, which I regretted deeply, but I was able to watch the whole thing on TG4 for the entire week. Not only did it show the racing, it also showed interaction between the locals and people from the larger rural community across Munster. It interviewed ordinary guys; it was not all about racing, jockeys, and form. TG4 offers the kind of community service that RTE is not in a position to provide. Even leaving aside what the station is doing for Gaeilge, I think it should be treated better. I ask the Leader to bring this matter to the attention of the Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, particularly as the latter now has bags full of money to give away.