Regina Doherty (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am here and I am free. It is a question of whatever is acceptable. Thursday is probably the earliest day on which we could bring the motion before the House. We will go ahead this evening and have our statements and let people express their views with the intention then to have a joint and, it is to be hoped, a unanimously agreed motion the day after tomorrow.

Senator Seery Kearney is not in the Chamber at present but her contribution was probably one of the most impassioned and personal statements I have heard anybody make in this House or indeed the other House in an awfully long time. I wish to acknowledge that. She requested a debate on neutrality, which is timely. I will ask for that to be scheduled as quickly as we can.

Senator Chambers, our Deputy Leader, opened by talking about endometriosis and the fact it is prevalent and is being spoken about, with people being made aware of the issue through campaigns at present.

Senator Chambers also spoke about visa waivers and Ukraine, which is pertinent. What she said is probably true. We all are somehow seen as either, in my case probably, very nosy or leaders in our communities. People have been asking us what we can do to support the efforts in Ukraine. There are individual Ukrainians in probably all our communities trying to organise things, but it would be very helpful if we had a national response through either a Government agency or a leading charity we could all get behind. One lovely idea that was put to me over the weekend was that we get somebody, in the same way as with Daffodil Day, to manufacture sunflowers and that we all buy and sell sunflowers in every retail outlet and have the money go directly to GOAL, the Irish Red Cross or some other body like that. I will make inquiries and come back to Senator Chambers as soon as I can.

There is a proposed amendment to the Order of Business, which I am very happy to accept.