Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I join with everybody else in wishing Tom Hickey well in his retirement. I also wish Martin Groves, Bridget Doody and the staff of the Seanad a happy and peaceful Christmas. They need a peaceful Christmas after what we saw here last night. I wish the Cathaoirleach well and thank him for his tolerance. That will get me an extra few seconds.

This week, the Irish Examinerreported that a Russian submarine was off the coast of Cork. How do we know? How do we know what is off the Cork or, for that matter, what is up in the sky when we do not have the capability to find out? In a Commencement matter debate on search and rescue yesterday, I heard the Minister of State refer to some of the tasks carried out by military being passed over to the search and rescue services, particularly the fixed-wing aircraft. I call for a debate on security early in the new year. We have two Ministers from Cork, who sit across the road from Haulbowline watching the place fall apart, and absolutely nothing has been done.