Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I rise today to welcome the ambassador, to voice my absolute support for the motion of commemoration and to note that what is going on at present in Ukraine is an attempted genocide. That the sanctions placed on Russia are not even more dramatic, given the intended annihilation of an entire nation, is really shocking. We cannot understate how appalling it is and we cannot convey enough our solidarity with the Ukrainian people.

I wish to support a great announcement that was made earlier today by the Minister of Justice and the Minister of State, Deputy Browne, in Cherry Orchard, namely, the establishment of the Cherry Orchard implementation board. It comes after a year of listening and work that I have advocated for with the Department of Justice. We are ensuring that there is official recognition and support for the work of the organisations on the ground and the plans that were made in conjunction with the community there. Earlier today, the establishment of the board was announced, with the appointment of Brendan Foster as chair. The next stage is to recruit a co-ordinator, which will be done immediately, to ensure there will be supported services, similar to those rolled out very successfully in Drogheda, for a community that needs to be supported and needs infrastructure.

Cherry Orchard is a unique community with its own culture, and is full of really fantastic people. Unfortunately, the infrastructure is not there, and it was not there when it was built. The area has two prisons and one shop, which is consists of the converted ground floor of one house, for a population of more than 10,000 people. The people have come together and created a plan. They are supported by fantastic organisations operating there. The people need a town centre, a dentist, a doctor, and all of those basic services within their unique community to support what is already there. They also need an enterprise centre. Brilliant plans for that are already well advanced. The implementation board is going to be about accessing Government at the highest level, speaking to the right people, supporting funding applications and amplifying their voice. The people of Cherry Orchard really deserve to have their voice heard. I am very grateful to the Minister and the Minister of State. They came out and listened and came back not with just a plan that was pie in the sky, but with the action, the personnel, the funding and the establishment of the office to ensure Cherry Orchard is recognised and has a name for the great place that it is, and not for the thuggish element that seeks to drag it down.