Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)

I support the Order of Business as outlined by the Leader. On Sunday, I had the immense privilege of meeting Bernie and Jane Sanders in Athy, County Kildare. This came about through the wonderful work of Colm Walsh, who has developed the Made of Athy series and discovered that the ancestors of Jane Sanders came from Athy. As a couple, Jane and Bernie are absolutely inspirational. They have worked so much for people who are vulnerable and marginalised and have done a lot of work in the area of social justice. Revitalising democracy is a big part of what they do, not just in America but also around the world, through engaging with various groups all over. I understand they have been in Ireland several times. I am aware that Senator Sanders is to speak tonight in Vicar Street but I ask the Leader and Cathaoirleach whether it would be in order to invite him to address the Seanad. After all, he is an Independent, so nobody could say we were siding with one side of the House or another. The next time Mr. Sanders comes from the US, I would like to make this proposal.

I noted that last week saw 75 years of the Civil Defence movement. It is a wonderful group of volunteers. I have often had to engage with them on community events in Kildare, where we have a group of absolutely excellent, really dedicated volunteers. This is the case all over the country, no matter whether it involves helping the emergency services or helping local communities. I understand the Civil Defence has 3,000 different duties every year. I want to give a shoutout to the Civil Defence movement all over the country. It was great to see it recognised by the President last week.

We are all watching the news in relation to the Fiona Pender situation. Very sadly, Fiona went missing almost 30 years ago. About six months ago I was in Tullamore and saw the walkway dedicated to her and the memorial. We know she will never be forgotten by the country, especially her family and friends. Sadly, both of her parents have passed away. When thinking of Fiona, I also think of my former neighbour Deirdre Jacob and many others, such as Annie McCarrick, Jo Jo Dullard and Trevor Deely. Every year, there is a national missing persons day. People have been seeking the establishment of a database of unidentified remains. We all remember the circumstances in Galway some years ago when Denis Walsh Jr was identified 25 years after he had gone missing. His body had lain in a morgue for 25 years. We have had advances regarding DNA, so it is really important that there be a call for an official record of unidentified bodies lying in morgues or graveyards. This needs to be addressed and maybe we could ask the Minister for Justice to come in to talk about our missing persons. There are 860 of them.