Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

They were the first members of the Irish Defence Forces to serve overseas and they deserve our respect.

On the issue of industrial relations, and with respect to my colleague, the Lansdowne Road agreement is the only agreement in town. Right now, it is running off the rails and we must do something about that. Yesterday, Mr. Eoin Ronayne of the Civil Public and Services Union was on the "Today with Seán O'Rourke" programme, calling for the reopening of the Lansdowne Road agreement in order to bring in all of the unions. If this does not happen, we run the risk of the entire agreement collapsing. I agree with my colleague that the Minister needs to come into the House. I urge the Leader to invite him so that we can have a proper debate on this issue. We do not want to see schools closed from 7 November onwards.