Michael Mullins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Our embassy staff and diplomatic team in Egypt are giving every possible assistance to Ibrahim. We all want to see him home in Dublin, back in education and with his family, quickly. Hopefully, the trial will go ahead next Saturday.However, we also have to be concerned as to what happens after the trial. For that reason, I believe the Government has done everything right by not burning all its bridges. It is fine for an Opposition spokesman to castigate the Government but the Government has to deal with the Egyptian Government in respect of this case and the proper line is being taken. Hopefully there will be a very successful outcome to this case in the very near future.

I join with colleagues in paying tribute to everybody who helped the many flood victims throughout the country in the past couple of weeks. However, we need to get the message out that towns and villages are open for business. Unfortunately, many people stayed away from shops in towns over the weekend because of a perception that every place was flooded. Traders throughout the country want to get the message out that, in the main, businesses are open.

There is a lot of work to be done when the floods have receded and we need the 300 schemes in line for funding under the CFRAM programme to be expedited. As Senator Hayden said, we also need to have a discussion on flood insurance. It is an absolute shame that, where major moneys have been expended and good defences put in place, insurance companies have not recognised it. I was pleased that the Minister of State, Deputy Harris, spoke extensively about this over the weekend and I welcome his determination to address this issue.