Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I pay my condolences to the British ambassador who was here earlier on the impact of the loss of the Queen. She made such a stir when she travelled to Ireland in 2011. It tugged at everyone's heartstrings to see the effort she put into every meeting she attended and speech she gave when she was here. It built an awful lot of bridges that we need to continue fighting for.

I also want to speak about the cystic fibrosis group whose members were outside the gates of Leinster House today and who were mentioned by Senator Carrigy. There was a young mother there with links to my home town. Two of her daughters cannot access the drug. It is a very difficult situation. From what I understand, the Minister for Health will meet the pharmaceutical company involved on Friday. This is the notice given to the group. We would like to see some action taken. The negotiations on it are difficult.

I acknowledge the funding that has come through CLÁR, the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Deputy Humphreys, and her Department. Yesterday, a second tranche of funding was announced. This includes more than 15 projects in County Galway and 12 projects in County Roscommon. Funding through CLÁR for towns and villages has increased from €5 million to €7.5 million, which means a large number of groups and communities will benefit. Many people received positive news yesterday and I hope we will see more rounds of CLÁR funding in the future. It is all thanks to the Our Rural Future policy driven by the Government and Fine Gael.