Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)

I add my voice to the welcome to our distinguished guests. This is the people’s parliament and we are always delighted to have the opportunity to welcome guests to the Chamber.

First, I offer my congratulations to the Blaney family. There was a civic reception held in Donegal last Friday for the Blaney family, of which Niall is a Member of this House and his brother Liam is a member of Donegal County Council, who have given 100 years' continuous service to the people of Donegal and to this country. That absolutely deserves recognition. I have no doubt it was a very proud moment for them and for their mother, Margaret, and all their friends and supporters. Congratulations to the Blaney family on that very significant achievement.

I wish to raise an issue in respect of Cuan and the excellent work it does. On Monday I had the opportunity to bring the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan to Teach Tearmainn, which is our domestic violence refuge in Kildare. Not only does it serve Kildare and its growing population but also surrounding counties like Laois. Lorraine Rowan and her team do an excellent job. I know that not just from the constant interaction we have but also from feedback from women I refer to them. Cuan has a very good outreach system also and accompaniment to court.

As with anything, it took a long time to get the refuge and the need has grown far beyond the physical premises. Kildare County Council provided two safe houses, which have been very welcome. While there has been a good collaboration, it would be far better if everything was concentrated in the one area for safety, security and other reasons. There is land directly behind, and we hope to negotiate with Kildare County Council about the acquisition. One of the key issues is that at the moment, Kildare is a secondary, not a primary, status area, so it does need to move to that within Cuan. This has been done in other counties such as Offaly and Kerry and that is very welcome. They have been able to progress with expansion plans. It is really important that we look for that and maybe we could have a debate in this House on Cuan and domestic violence.

The LAMA awards have just been announced for 28 February next year. This is the 20th year of the awards and 40th year of the LAMA executive. It is a great opportunity to be able to showcase all the positive things that are happening in collaboration between councils and communities. I urge all of the Members here to support it, to go to the awards, and to encourage the local authorities that we are all familiar with and represent to enter.