Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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Before I ask the Deputy Leader to outline the Order of Business, I welcome the German ambassador to Ireland. He is accompanied by Deputy Timmins, who is the convenor of the Irish-German friendship group. On 3 October 1990, 35 years ago, Germany achieved reunification after a long period of division and began a successful process or reintegration. Ireland is proud of the part it played as President of the European Council in chairing the pivotal meeting in Dublin that led to pan-European support for German reunification. Ireland's upcoming Presidency of the European Union offers us an excellent opportunity to further strengthen this bond in the context of we can working to achieve a stronger European Union, one that advocates for peace, democracy and solidarity in an increasingly challenging world.

Ireland and Germany have a strong bilateral relationship, one which was strengthened in the aftermath of Brexit, but its origin goes back much further to St. Kilian, who left Ireland along with other monks and arrived in Germany in the seventh century and established enduring links between our two countries. An example of this legacy is the German school, St. Kilian's, which was established in Dublin in 1952. In fact, German is the second most popular foreign language at universities here and the third most popular in schools. We also share strong economic links with Germany, which is Ireland's second largest export destination. Many German companies operate in Ireland. This year, Siemens is celebrating 100 years in Ireland. Its time in Ireland began with the construction of the Shannon hydroelectric scheme at Ardnacrusha.

We look forward to continuing to build on these economic and cultural ties and in working together to build a better Europe. I wish the ambassador and all of the people in Germany a very happy German unity day. The ambassador is very welcome. It was lovely to meet him earlier. Will the Deputy Leader to outline the Order of Business for today?

Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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I also welcome the ambassador. It is a pleasure to meet him once again. We met on St. Patrick's Day in Newbridge as a result of the very active twinning we have with Bad Lippspringe. I wish all German citizens living in Ireland and those with links to Germany a happy independence and commemoration day.

Before moving to the Order of Business, I propose to read out a statement. I want to address the House on the subject of the Global Sumud Flotilla, a fleet of almost 50 vessels aiming to deliver humanitarian aid and establish an open, sustained humanitarian corridor to Gaza. Like many other Senators, I have been closely monitoring reports overnight of the flotilla's interception by the Israeli navy and the resulting detention of a number of Irish citizens, including, as we are all aware, our colleague Senator Chris Andrews. In this situation, the very clear priority must be to ensure the safety and well-being of our citizens. I understand from the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Simon Harris, that he has convened a special meeting this morning with senior officials in the Department of foreign affairs to discuss the latest developments. He has also spoken with Ireland's ambassador to Israel and will remain in contact with his EU counterparts. Officials from the Department, including those in the embassy in Tel Aviv, are actively engaged with the situation and are providing consular assistance to those affected. Department officials are also in direct and ongoing dialogue with the designated point of contact for the flotilla. Furthermore, the embassy in Tel Aviv remains in direct contact with the authorities in Israel. It is seeking consular access to the detainees as soon as possible, but is mindful that today is a religious holiday in Israel. This is an evolving situation that we will all continue to monitor closely as we keep the many Irish citizens involved, including our friend and colleague Senator Andrews, in our thoughts.