Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I add my voice to welcoming the guests who are here, and I hope they have an interesting and informative visit to Leinster House.

On behalf of my party, I extend our very deepest sympathy to the ambassador of Austria and to the people of Austria on the horrific situation that unfolded in Graz, with the killing of nine people and the maiming of many more. It is shocking to see such a thing happen anywhere in the world, particularly on the Continent of. It is important that we note what took place.

This is Pride month. As I do every year, I look forward to participating with my party in the Pride march at the end of June. It is important that we stand up for the rights of those in the LGBT community, not only in our country but also throughout Europe. It is important to note that there were recent legislative and constitutional amendments in Hungary that infringe on the fundamental rights of LGBTQ people there. These amendments were adopted earlier this year, following other anti-LGBT+ legislation that had already been introduced. The laws in question basically allow fines to be imposed on participants and organisers of events such as the annual Pride celebrations. They also allow the banning of such events. This type of legislation being introduced in Europe has extremely serious implications. It is important that we ask our distinguished representatives on the Council of Europe to raise this matter and that we write to our MEPs. I would like us to seek a debate with the Minister of State with responsibility for European affairs to see how we can progress our views on this.

Another issue I want to raise is that relating to the Curragh and the Curragh Camp. I appreciate that the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade was here recently to speak about Gaza, but I am seeking that he return to the House to speak as Minister for Defence about the future of the Curragh. The Curragh Camp is the home of the Defence Forces training centre. It has two iconic buildings. One, the Curragh post office, closed in 2019. It was the second-oldest post office in the country after the GPO. On 30 May, the fire service building closed. These two iconic buildings are very important to people in the area. What are the plans for them? The post office has been derelict since 2018. We need to know the plans for it.

Regarding the Curragh itself, we have seen illegal encampments and gallops being closed. Horse trainers pay a fee to use the Curragh. They cannot use it at present. There are problems for people living close to the area. While some gave an indication that they would move on 10 June, 26 remain and are not in any way adhering to the rule of law. The Tánaiste said he would deal with this when he was here, but nothing has happened to date. I would like a debate on the matter.