Vincent P Martin (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the decision to hold a debate on Palestine this evening.

I concur with the remarks made by Senator Malcolm Byrne about charities. When we debate this matter in the Seanad, maybe we should also consider the multilayered strands of charities operating in the same general area where resources overlap. There are so many good charities in the area of cancer and mental wellness. It is a shame there is such an incredibly large number of them. Is there a need for so many individual charities? Could they not come together and amalgamate for the sake of fundraising? That is something we should consider.

Since the Seanad last sat, a new leader of political unionism has been elected. I wish Edwin Poots well, though personally, looking at his track record I am not convinced. I do not really have massive hope but he deserves space and a fresh start and I wish him the very best. I am not a fan of his social or environmental agenda but hopefully the responsibility of leadership will weigh heavily on his shoulders and he will rise to the challenge. I was not a particular fan of Ian Paisley Snr. so Edwin Poots is not a lost cause. He is a fellow Irishman and I wish him well. I will judge him by his actions, not his words, but his words have been very uninspiring to date.

In respect of the cyberattack, the Minister of State, Deputy Ossian Smyth, has a natural love of this area and expertise in it. He will be a positive for the Government. These people are the new mafiosa - make no mistake about it. They should be treated the same as people who kill on the way to rob banks and art galleries, or drug cartels. Their actions risk people losing their lives around the world. We should throw everything at this and the Defence Forces should have an increased budget as this is happening throughout the EU. It is the new scourge and we must rise to this challenge or it could debilitate our country.