Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Senator Murnane O'Connor raised the issue of local government budgets and cited different budgets. The Senator will know that it depends on a variety of factors as to where and how that distribution of local government funding is done, and I am sure the Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Phelan, who shares the constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny with her, will not be found wanting in the allocation of funding for that area.

I join with Senator Colm Burke in congratulating University College Cork on its announcement today of its €350 million strategic plan and give him a commitment that we will have the Minister with responsibility for nuclear research come to the House. I cannot give him an answer as to why we are not a member of the European Organization for Nuclear Research, CERN, but I am happy to have that debate in the House.

Senator Ó Donghaile made reference to Act na Gaelige and the seven days of action. The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Coveney, must be commended on his leadership in showing that the Irish language is very important to us as a society and as a nation. This Government has shown that the Irish language is important, and I commend all involved. I am always happy to wear red, as a Corkman, but I do not believe that we should use the Irish language as a weapon because it is important we inculcate in all our citizens, North and South, a love for our language and our culture, and we should bring people on a journey as well. That is something that we can do.