Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

A couple of weeks ago we raised the issue of Kleber Medeiros and Harriett Bruce. Kleber was deported, unlawfully, from this country and they are trying to get him back for Christmas. I ask the Leader to ask the Minister for Justice and Equality for an update on the situation.

There is an ongoing and urgent crisis today in Inis Mór in the Aran Islands. The operator of the ferry service to Inis Mór will stop the service from tomorrow morning due to an absolute hames of a debacle that has ensued for some time, involving the operator, Galway County Council and the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. In recent weeks we have called on the Minister to get people around the table and to bang heads together in order to hammer out a deal. As it stands, there will be no ferry service for the Aran Islands from tomorrow morning. It might seem a bit extreme but the Minister might need to ring the Department of Defence to see whether a Naval Service vessel will be available to ship people in and out. Many people need the service on a regular basis. School groups are going in and out and trying to get back to the island. People are working on the island and others need to leave it to go for hospital appointments. At this stage it is an emergency and the Minister of State must intervene to get people around a table, bang heads together and find a solution, instead of people using excuses not to meet and sort out the situation. It is an absolute disgrace that it has been allowed to go this far. I hope the Leader will contact his office immediately to try to get him to act and to find a solution.