Gabrielle McFadden (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I also welcome everyone back and thank all those who worked so hard to have this beautiful Chamber ready for us today.

I refer to the issuing of the Jadotville medals, an issue I have raised on numerous occasions. It is welcome that the Minister has agreed to give a medal to the gentlemen who survived in Jadotville in the Congo in 1961. It is long overdue and I am glad that it is happening. However, I ask the Leader to use his good offices to encourage the Minister and the Department to rush the medals through. As the Leader will appreciate, many of the gentlemen in question are quite elderly; as such, time is of the essence. It is planned to hold Jadotville Day in Athlone in October when there will be a series of events to mark the siege, including the unveiling of a plaque in the civic square. It would, therefore, be appropriate to issue the medals that weekend as people will be travelling from Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. I ask the Leader to urge the Minister and those in the Department to do all that they can to provide the medals on time in order that the ceremony can take place the same weekend.