Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I join with others in commending the Cathaoirleach on his round of engagements in the US. As always, he did us very proud there. He is fiercely committed to it and that special relationship with the United States of America. That prompted me as I was coming up the stairs where we now have a collection of photographs to consider again the John F. Kennedy battle flag that was on display for many years at the bottom of the stairs. It is the item that is most sought after and prized in these Houses. That and the Proclamation are perhaps the most significant symbols within these Houses, and I would like the Deputy Leader, in liaison with the Cathaoirleach, to organise for a report to be done on that. Of course, John F. Kennedy came in 1963 and presented the flag, which is well documented, and it should be displayed. I will leave that with the Deputy Leader. I want a report on it. There would usually be other channels but they are not available at the moment. The commission is in abeyance and I do not want to go out of here this summer or Easter and not know what is happening. When the next American or anyone else comes to this House, I want to bring them to that flag.

I will finish up by asking the Deputy Leader if we could have a debate on rural housing. I thank her and the Leader's office for organising a debate with the Minister for agriculture on the Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, today. We can talk about all the common agricultural policies we like but if we do not have young farmers and families living in rural communities in houses on land that they own or their families own, we will not sustain and support small farm enterprises across this country. We have had successive Governments promise us draft planning guidelines. At one point it was suggested that the Green Party was an impediment to progress here. We now have a new Government and a new Administration, and it is important that we have the Minister for housing come to this House and tell us what the plans are. How can we take away the obstacles faced by people in the Deputy Leader's area of Kildare, or those in Galway, Kerry or wherever it may be? People want to live on the land of their heritage and their forebears. It is important, particularly in the context of developing rural communities and sustainable agriculture under CAP.