Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I join the Cathaoirleach and the Deputy Leader in offering our best wishes to the people of Bulgaria on their national day.

This week marks three years since Russia illegally invaded Ukraine. We in the Upper House and the Lower House marked that and reaffirmed our solidarity with the people of Ukraine. I acknowledge the great leadership being shown by our Taoiseach. I understand he is to meet with President Zelenskyy, who is due to travel to Washington in an attempt to broker a deal with the support of the US. I believe everybody in this House is committed to supporting the people of Ukraine and to ensuring they have a free, independent, democratic country and their independence, democracy and right to self-determination are respected. When our Taoiseach meets with President Zelenskyy, I am certain he will reaffirm our country's commitment to continuing to support the people of Ukraine in their defence of freedom, independence and democracy.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Local Authority Members Association, LAMA. Almost 100% of elected local authority members have signed up and are members of LAMA. I want the House to recognise the tremendous service LAMA has provided over 40 years and to acknowledge that service over four decades of previous elected representatives. It would be appropriate for the Deputy Leader to invite the executive and members of LAMA to visit the House at some point during their 40th anniversary year of 2025, and for us as a House to engage with them on their past 40 years and their ambitions for the decades to come.

We in this House enjoy the great privilege of this Order of Business and the opportunity to speak on Private Members' matters and Government issues. There has been an unseemly row rolling on in the Lower House for the past six weeks and I know from listening to constituents-----