Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Tomorrow is the first anniversary of the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia. We have to remind ourselves every day that the people of Ukraine are suffering beyond belief. Whatever we do in this country, we are doing it in solidarity with peace, with what is right internationally and with what is ethical. Whatever we are doing is still not enough and we can always do more.We should all reach out and extend the hand of friendship to people from Ukraine. Some of them have been living in hotels for almost a year and some are living with wonderful host families. Some of them are very lonely. It is a very difficult time for them. We should extend the hand of friendship and solidarity to them. I support Senator Ward's proposal that the Oireachtas should facilitate any Member who wishes to go to Kyiv, who wants to show solidarity by going to Ukraine. That is an idea that is well worth exploring and developing.

Finally, on the trolley numbers in the emergency department in Limerick, the new protocols that were introduced by the National Ambulance Service mean that people are being brought to Ennis Hospital as opposed to the emergency department in University Hospital Limerick, UHL. We should have a debate on those protocols. We need to examine the facts and figures, determine whether these protocols are working and whether they can be further improved.