Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I support the Order of Business as outlined by my colleague, Senator Chambers. Today, as we gather here, for the second day a dig is taking place on the Kildare-Wicklow border. All our thoughts and prayers are with the Jacob family in the hope that they will find some type of resolution to what happened. Their beautiful daughter Deirdre disappeared when she was 18. If she was alive, she would be 42 on Thursday. That puts into context the awful years of torture that the family have suffered. The Jacob family are much-loved members of the community from Rathangan and Newbridge. From my perspective, our families have had an intergenerational friendship. My grandfather and Deirdre's grandfather founded one of the first Fianna Fáil cumanns in the country, in Barnaran, just outside Rathangan. I felt it was important to show solidarity with Deirdre's parents. Let us all hope that there is some closure and that they will be able to find their beloved daughter, bring her home and allow her to rest in peace.

I also want to raise the issue of the Gibbet Rath in the Curragh. I have called before for a national heritage site for the Curragh, which is a unique landscape which is important geographically and historically. The Gibbet Rath is a place of particular importance. In 1798, 350 Irish rebels were slaughtered there by British soldiers. Unfortunately, at the weekend, there was a lot of vandalism there. It is not preserved or protected appropriately. I call for national heritage status for the site.

I raise the Yellow Flag programme. We are all aware of the Green Flag programme. It is a wonderful programme in schools. As the Leader will know, I introduced legislation here relating to hate crime. It is important that we do everything that we can to support policies that support inclusion in a proactive, positive way. Yellow Flag does that. I met with it last week. It does excellent work. It has worked with more than 100 schools but, unfortunately, with the resources that it has, it can only take on ten schools a year. Some 150 are waiting for the programme. The Seanad needs to call for support for the Yellow Flag programme.

The last item that I would like to raise is the extension of visas for people who do not have residency in Ireland. They have been extended until 15 January, which is good. If people need to leave the country because of a family emergency or bereavement, for example, they cannot. That should be amended to ensure that they can do that.