Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I want to raise two issues with the Leader today. The first issue is that of Jadotville. As the Leader knows, a motion, signed by the majority of Senators, is ready to be submitted that deals with the injustice that the Jadotville veterans and their families have faced for all these years. It calls for a medal ceremony in Áras an Uachtarán to recognise the scale of the injustice that they have suffered. I know he has raised it already, but I ask the Leader to raise it with the Minister and his Department officials again. I want to avoid submitting a motion and dividing this House, though I will if necessary. It is important that we unite together and address this issue in a dignified manner. I ask the Leader again to raise this. If necessary myself and Senator Craughwell, who co-sponsored the motion at the outset, would be happy to meet with the Leader and the Minister to try to resolve this issue.

The second issue has been raised with me by members of the fire services and was news to me. I knew that members of the Defence Forces were presented with 1916 commemorative medals last year to mark the centenary. I am led to believe that all members of the Defence Forces, An Garda Síochána and the National Ambulance Service were presented with commemorative medals last year. The only front-line emergency service that were not is, apparently, the fire services. Clearly this would be a very serious omission. The firemen who have raised this with me are understandably aggrieved as to what has happened. I assume it is because of the structure of the fire services under the management of local authorities but I ask the Leader to raise that with the relevant Minister, who I assume is the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Deputy Heather Humphreys, to address this anomaly and to ask her to, even now, belatedly ensure that they are presented with a medal to mark that commemorative year. It would be important.