The Order of Business is No. 1, motion regarding the orders of reference of the Joint Committee on Assisted Dying, extension of reporting deadline, to be taken on conclusion of the Order of Business, without debate; No. 2, Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023 - Committee Stage, to be taken at 3.15 p.m. and to adjourn at 4.30 p.m. if not previously concluded; No. 3, statements on the situation in the Middle East, to be taken at 4.30 p.m. and to conclude at 6 p.m. if not previously concluded, with the time allocated to the opening remarks of the Minister not to exceed ten minutes, group spokespersons not to exceed ten minutes and that time may be shared, and the Minister to be given not less than ten minutes to reply to the debate; and No. 4, Private Members' business, Special Measures in the Public Interest (Derrybrien Wind Farm) Bill 2023 - Second Stage, to be taken at 6.15 p.m., with the time allocated to this debate not to exceed two hours.
An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
I ask the Deputy Leader at the earliest opportunity to arrange a debate in the House with the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, about Circular 0002/2024, which was issued recently. I spoke to a number of principals in east Clare yesterday evening who made clear to me that this will impact significantly on the work they do as principals. As a result of this circular, they see a further erosion of the hours available to deal with children with special needs. The changes that have been taking place over time do not give schools the capacity to get support based on individual children. Set criteria are now in place for which the schools receive hours of support, including special education tuition. Unfortunately, when a child with significant challenges comes to school, that is not addressed for the child's first years because the school's allocation is based on the standard tests that take place from fourth class onwards. That is impacting significantly on teachers and schools.
I ask that we have a debate at the earliest opportunity to try to understand where the Department and Minister are coming from. I ask in the interim that this circular be abandoned and withdrawn until such time as there is an appropriate level of discussion between principals' representatives, trade unions and the various staff. It is having an impact and has the potential to impact very significantly on them.
I congratulate the Deputy Leader on being selected as a candidate for Fine Gael in the upcoming European elections. I wish her the very best.
I call for a debate with the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, on the national aviation policy. There are many issues that Senators from across the House would like to input into that debate, not least the passenger cap in place in Dublin Airport, the development of Shannon and Cork airports and the importance of regional aviation policy. In that context, I refer specifically to Waterford Airport, which houses an important service, Rescue 117. We have been seeking to have the airport developed, with a lengthening and widening of the runway, for some time.
The project now has planning permission and compulsory purchase orders, CPOs, have been approved by An Bord Pleanála. There are private sector investors on board with €12 million. The local authorities will contribute between €2 million and €3 million and the ask of the Government is to match the €12 million in private sector funding. The Deputy Leader would have been around the Cabinet table when a decision was made to match €5 million in private sector funding in 2019. The Taoiseach has reiterated his support for the airport and the principle of 50:50 funding. The business case for the project was submitted in mid-December. It is with the Department and being assessed by officials.
A timely debate on national aviation policy and support for regional aviation would be welcomed because it is essential this project is supported by the Government. It is important for regional Ireland and connectivity to the south east. With the huge developments ongoing in the North Quays and the development of the university, the airport is a critical link. I would like the matter debated in the House as early as possible.
I echo the congratulations to our ceannaire. She would be a great representative of Ireland in Europe, and of Fine Gael of course. I am delighted to hear that news.
I raise again Children's Health Ireland, particularly the waiting list for urological surgery. I have raised complex spinal surgery and the fact there are hundreds of children on that waiting list. Much complex spinal surgery associated with scoliosis, kyphectomy and other complex surgeries has been suspended. These children are suffering, in pain and in crisis. I appreciate the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, is liaising with the families but we need a task force to begin those surgeries with immediate effect. The lives of these children are being altered and limited as we speak.
As I raised here last week, it has also been brought to my attention by parents that the urological surgical list is not being dealt with by Children's Health Ireland. This relates to children who have structural changes in what are essentially their genitalia. We have boys and girls entering adolescence and the teenage years and developing into young adults, and they need little surgical interventions because of structural changes in their genitalia. If they do not get the interventions, they face a higher risk of cancer, infertility and urinary incontinence in adulthood. Many of these children are on the same waiting list for spinal surgery. Imagine all of the challenges they have to contend with, blossoming into young men and women and having no surgical intervention to allow them to develop normally. It is a particularly cruel and reprehensible treatment of disabled children. It affects their psychosexual and sexual development, self-esteem and emotional well-being.
Children's Health Ireland is one of the only children's hospitals in Europe that does not have a transitional urology programme. That is international best practice. We are complete outliers in this regard. I have no confidence whatsoever in the management or board of Children's Health Ireland. There is a particular risk as Temple Street children's hospital closes and transitions to the new hospital on the St. James's site, as well as with the closure of Crumlin children's hospital, that children will be exposed to avoidable injury and death because of the incompetence of the management and board.
The story here is not about the billions spent on the children's hospital but about the price being paid by little disabled children in terms of their organs, bones and spines.
Why are we allowing this to happen? I call for a debate on Children's Hospital Ireland with a focus on the impacts on children.
I think everyone in the Chamber will welcome the ongoing good news from the North since the power-sharing Executive was set up under the leadership of Michelle O'Neill and Emma Little-Pengelly. In their acceptance speeches, both stressed the importance of the Executive being for all the people of the North. In exercising that fundamental principle, the Executive will also be acting in the interests of all the people of Ireland through the North-South bodies of the Good Friday Agreement, including the North-South Ministerial Council which involves the Irish Government. I know that at the meeting between the Tánaiste, Taoiseach, and president and vice-president of Sinn Féin, it was asked that the North-South Ministerial Council meet without delay. I ask for the Leader's comment on that institution.
There is good news, positivity and good momentum in the North at the moment, which are reflected in the day-to-day work of the Executive and the decisions it has taken. It is particularly welcome that the Minister for Communities, Gordon Lyons, a DUP minister, has signed off on and agreed to oversee the redevelopment of Casement Park in west Belfast. I think everyone here will welcome that. It was also great to see the First Minister and deputy First Minister visiting projects in north Belfast and the women's centre on the Shankill Road in west Belfast. On his first engagement as education minister, the DUP's Paul Given visited Rathmore Grammar School, a Catholic school in south Belfast. Conor Murphy also met the Minister, Deputy Coveney, to discuss IntertradeIreland and Derry's airport. On both occasions, he spoke about the importance of developing the all-island economy, and his belief that the people of the North would be better off in a united Ireland. The collective message from the ministers, as they carry out their engagements, is one of positivity. That is to be welcomed. I would welcome if the Leader commented on the North-South Ministerial Council.
Travelling into Dublin this morning, I listened to Chief Imam Dr. Umar Al-Qadri, chairperson of the Muslim council, speak about the horrific attack he underwent last Thursday evening. On behalf of the Fianna Fáil Party, I condemn the attack which shows a clear need for the hate legislation to come back before the House to be dealt with.
I also mention the death of the Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, a vocal critic of President Putin. Mr. Navalny died last Friday in a Siberian penal colony. He was a brave and courageous political leader who put democracy and the democratic values we hold dear in these Houses ahead of his own safety and well-being. As we know, he was a strong and consistent critic of the Russian regime. Many of us find it hard to believe that he died from sudden death syndrome. Given reports that the Russian authorities are holding Mr. Navalny's body for two weeks for chemical analysis, it is likely we will never know the true cause of his death. His wife has shown incredible bravery by staying at the security conference in Munich. Yulia has accused Putin of killing her husband. She too is bravely standing up to the Russian regime in doing so. It is important that we all remember Navalny, acknowledge his huge role in advancing the cause of democracy and take this opportunity to again denounce the cruel, brutal, barbaric and authoritarian Moscow regime.
I welcome this morning's news about shared island funding. A total of €800 million in multi-annual funding was announced. The A5 road seems ancient whenever I travel it.
It is absolutely dangerous. It feels like it is from another time and another era because it has been so poorly invested in. I am thinking today of the many campaigners over the years, particularly the families I know who have lost loved ones on that road. It is an essential piece of infrastructure connecting the north west to the rest of the island. It brings safety, security, investment and connectivity and is good news for all of us. I thank all of those who campaigned over the years. Hopefully we will see the new infrastructure Minister in the North leading out on this as well.
I also welcome the investment in the astronomical observatories of Ireland. When I was a child I used to go to Armagh planetarium. Today my family is as familiar with the Dunsink Observatory in Dublin 15 and there is also an observatory in Birr. I welcome the investment in the heritage and tourism potential of those three observatories.
The announcement includes €50 million towards the redevelopment of Casement Park, which will put it on the map not just in Belfast and Ulster but across the island. Moreover, funding of €12.5 million will be provided for a new hourly rail service from Dublin to Belfast. This means a lot to me because it does not threaten anybody's identity. It brings identities together. It makes roads like the A5 and facilities like Casement Park, as well as the idea of going up the road to Belfast for the day or visiting Armagh planetarium, more accessible to everybody. It is a bright day, against the backdrop of new relationships and new potential on our island. Well done to the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Minister for Transport.
Post-mastectomy products such as mastectomy bras, prostheses and other accessories like swimwear serve a critical role in the physical and emotional recovery of women who have undergone a mastectomy. These products are not simply cosmetic items but are essential for restoring a sense of normality and confidence for patients. The cost of post-mastectomy products can be a significant burden for many patients, particularly those who are already facing financial challenges due to their medical treatment. Under the current post-mastectomy products scheme, women are supported with the fitting and supply of two post-mastectomy bras, one prosthesis, or two if they have had bilateral surgery, one swimming prosthesis, or two if they have had bilateral surgery and one item of post-surgery swimwear.
Proposed changes to the scheme this month will see funding cut by 50%. It is proposed that women will now receive €60 towards a post-surgery bra, which will not cover the cost. It is also proposed that the first fitting service will be carried out in the hospital by a nurse, immediately after surgery. Patients will get €200 towards a prosthesis every second year. It is crucial to involve mastectomy patients and advocacy groups in discussions about any changes to allowances for post-mastectomy products. These women have first-hand experience with the challenges and needs associated with post-mastectomy care. Their input can provide valuable insights for the shaping of more effective and supportive allowances.
Today the Government announced almost €1 billion for cross-Border projects and I welcome that. The Minister for Health has done excellent work for women's healthcare since he became Minister but this move is an attack on very vulnerable women fighting breast cancer. It is vital that the Deputy Leader speaks to the Minister for Health immediately. I do not want to table a Commencement matter on this because I will get an unsatisfactory answer. I ask the Deputy Leader to stress the urgency of having this decision reversed as soon as possible and urge her to intervene on this matter, which I know she will do.
I also welcome the news of the shared island funding. Today we heard that the Government will provide the targeted cost of construction of the Narrow Water Bridge. The Cabinet signed off on that this morning. Anyone who knows me knows that I absolutely love my county and region and am so proud of it. I genuinely believe in it and in its bright future. Today's funding announcement highlights my belief and that of this Government in my region. It is a really proud day for me because for many a long year my area has been economically disadvantaged by being a Border county. It was economically disadvantaged because of the Troubles and the difficulties of lying along the Border. I have huge confidence in the economic and social future of my area. Today's commitment by the Government reflects the strong commitment contained in the Fianna Fáil manifesto prior to the last election.
Today, it is a Government commitment. I am proud to see it. I thank the Tánaiste and congratulate Louth County Council for their work on the shared island initiative. There has been diligent work from Louth County Council, the Department of the Taoiseach and the shared island unit over the past year since the tender documents were announced.
The shared island unit is slowly and steadily, through dedication and respect, improving the lives of all on this island. I look forward to seeing more progress. A huge amount of funding has been announced for educational disadvantage, Casement Park and the A5, as well as €30 million for a shared island economic fund. There is huge positivity today. I look forward to seeing the improvements in real life. It is a great day for north Louth and the Narrow Water bridge.
I ask the Deputy Leader to get information on when an announcement is likely to be made on sports capital funding. A lot of sports clubs across submitted legitimate and good applications. They are waiting and anxious to know if they will be successful.
I suppose they are in County Tipperary.
An application of keen interest to me is that of Moyle Rovers GAA club just outside Clonmel. My colleague-----
I am not surprised.
Senator Craughwell knows full well-----
My colleague, Councillor Michael Murphy, has been working hard on this project to do up the floodlights and get a new mower. The reason I raise Moyle Rovers is the service it provided to the State during Covid. Its facilities and premises were used during Covid as a test centre. Most people would assume the GAA club got money for providing its facilities but it did it free of charge for 18 months. It played a key role for the community in Clonmel and the surrounding area of south Tipperary. While all clubs deserve financial support, Moyle Rovers went above and beyond in its service to the State during that period. I would appreciate if the Minister took that into account when decisions are made about supporting Moyle Rovers.
The Senator mentioned Moyle Rovers. I recall my classmate, John Owens, played with Moyle Rovers, as did our former colleague and Councillor, Derry Foley, and, of course, the great Declan Browne.
In contrast, perhaps, to the great generosity shown by some during Covid, as we heard from the previous speaker, the European Union had a poor moment during the Covid pandemic when it acted as a major blocker of a TRIPS waiver. Such a waiver on intellectual property and rules would have allowed sharing and access to vaccines for the global south and the widespread saving of lives. It was unfortunate that the profits of very few companies were prioritised over a threat common to all of humanity and the supporting of all humanity. We now have the figures. We were told this would all go back into research while we know public research funded much of the development of these vaccines. The People's Vaccines Alliance told us that the major firms spent €370 billion on shareholder and executive payouts. That is almost as much as they spent on research and development during that period.
We now have the chance to learn and do better. A new pandemic treaty is being negotiated. The goal is the prevention of pandemics, preparedness for their emergence and the response when they emerge. Unfortunately, the EU, Canada, the United States, Switzerland and Germany, in particular, which I must call out, are blocking real progress on that pandemic treaty. The People's Vaccines Alliance has put on the table a very modest proposal that 20% of medical countermeasures be donated to the World Health Organization. This would mean that one fifth of what might be produced would be made available to the four fifths of the world that are poorer. Even that has been blocked and opposed. There is now a danger that there may not be progress in the treaty, entirely due to global north countries blocking it. We have to learn and do better.
I acknowledge that this House passed a motion calling for a TRIPS waiver and sought justice on that issue.
I hope we can maybe look to how this House can progress things further again.
It is great to see the Deputy Leader, Senator Regina Doherty, here today. I wish her well.
I want to raise the issue of St. John of God but at the outset I want to thank the Cathaoirleach for selecting this as a Commencement matter tomorrow. What I will speak on tomorrow is slightly different from what I will talk about today. I wish to flag a very serious issue, which is the services of the Hospitaller Order of St. John of God. It is dealing with 8,000 customer service users, 3,000 members of staff and hundreds of volunteers. We now have a crisis in this organisation and it is not the first time we have discussed this and heard about this crisis. It has been going on for a few years. One can follow the media reports and other reports in regard to the service. I refer to Saturday's The Irish Times, which carried a very good question and answer article on the difficulties in regard to this crisis. It appears there may be some resolution, although we do not know as it is being negotiated. However, it is not good enough that there is a reliance by the State on one service provider to provide this level of services for the disability sector over a range of areas.
I received emails today from Dublin, Kildare, and Kerry. Members will be delighted to know that the biggest volume was from the St. John of God services in Kerry. I also received emails from Wicklow, Meath and Louth. We have a crisis.
While we might have a short-term solution in the propping up of finances, we need to look again at why one organisation is responsible for 8,000 people, mainly in institutional care settings. It poses a massive challenge to us in the longer term. I ask that Members have a briefing from the relevant Minister. I am aware that this issue touches on health and disability but we should have a briefing from the relevant Minister on this crisis.
More important, I want to hear of a transitional plan that will move many of these people into more appropriate care settings and back as close to their communities as possible. We rely solely on one provider and face a crisis, and by golly we have a crisis on our hands. Many of the families affected work in this very building. They have contacted me today to say they are deeply concerned. I ask for an information briefing - not a debate - on the facts as they are today.
Thankfully, in this country now when constructing a new building, one has universal design. By and large, there are lifts, tactile paving and it is accessible to people with disabilities. Yet we have introduced a brand new plastic bottle return scheme that is completely inaccessible to many people with disabilities. There are no tactile Braille facilities on the machines. Many of the machines are too high for wheelchair users to return bottles. There are no facilities for people with disabilities, carers or elderly people who do click-and-collect shopping or who have their shopping delivered. Everything about this scheme from start to finish is an absolute mess. I am getting complaints from people with disabilities, from disability groups, from retailers, and from elderly people since I raised this issue in the Seanad some weeks ago prior to the scheme going live. The number of people who have contacted me with various concerns is particularly interesting and worrying.
As I said before, the machines should be available at every bottle bank in the country. They should be in municipal districts and in council facilities. They should not be exclusively available to the big businesses which can afford to buy these machines at an enormous cost and which benefit from the footfall and the vouchers issued by the machines. The scheme should be put on hold and it should be fundamentally rethought to make it equitable and fair to the businesses which cannot afford the schemes, and to the people who cannot use the machines. They deserve equality in what we call a modern country where we pride ourselves in creating access and universal design.
At the outset, I congratulate the Deputy Leader.
From working with her in recent years, I genuinely feel that she has shown herself to be an extremely independent person and an independent thinker. She has been rewarded by being selected and now she has to go and do the hard work. I wish her well in that.
On the referendum, I am becoming more and more concerned at what I believe are the attempts to usurp the McKenna judgment by NGOs that are largely funded by the State. In fact, up to 97% of their funding comes from the State. They are out there canvassing for a "Yes", which they are perfectly entitled to do. I have no difficulty whatsoever with that, but I do believe their accounts will have to be audited at the end of this process to establish if money that was provided by the State was used to fund posters, advertisements or any aspect of the campaign. This is after all a referendum and the rules are very clear as to how we should behave ourselves.
It is interesting to note that some NGOs have now started to realise that this referendum does not offer the disabled or their carers the things that are promised. I am also deeply concerned because some Ministers have been putting out misinformation. One of the Deputy Leader's own colleagues admitted on TV in recent days that a durable relationship is not equal to a marriage and that people in durable relationships may find that they have to go to the courts to establish rights for their families. We must be very honest with people. We must make sure that misinformation is nipped in the bud and that anything that is given out stands - that it can be legally challenged and proved in court. For example, striving to assist the disabled or carers does not provide any legal obligation on the State to look after them.
Once again, I congratulate Senator Doherty on her selection. I am sorry to throw that at her this afternoon.
I, too, wish to join with others in congratulating the Deputy Leader on her great performance at the weekend. I certainly wish her well from here on in. Bualadh bos on her performance.
I would also like to mention Senator Ward, who equally performed well. It shows the quality that lies within the four walls of this particular room.
Absolutely.
Today, and many times previously, I have spoken about the digital age and how it is moving at a pace that no one can stop. No one wants to stop it. It is a train that, unfortunately, not everyone is capable of buying a ticket for or getting access to. I have in mind those people who call to my office, including elderly people, who find it difficult to get a bus ticket as they have to buy it online and for whatever reason they are not capable of doing so. I was heartened this weekend by a story I heard about an intercounty GAA match in Letterkenny where Donegal was playing Fermanagh in a division 2 league match. I commend the local club there, which took it upon itself to set up a helpdesk at the venue. It printed off 60 tickets on the day for anybody who had difficulty getting access online or who found it difficult to handle it themselves or anybody else for that matter. It turned out that more than 135 people used the service on the day. I have spoken to a few people who used it and they told me it was a great service.
It is a message that should be sent out to other organisations, including Bus Éireann, and the GAA generally. It is an initiative that should be rolled out by the GAA. Perhaps it is something the GAA might look at rolling out to every intercounty ground in the country whereby people who for whatever reason find it difficult to access tickets can rock up on the day, pay €20 to get a ticket and go and enjoy the match. They are not depending on anybody and nobody is being discriminated against.
First, I thank everyone for their kind wishes. They are greatly appreciated. I could not agree with Senator Gallagher more. There is a race to digitalise society, which is grand, because it is much more efficient, less costly and much easier to manage but there is a whole cohort of people who cannot even send a text message. That should not be a judgmental kind of thing. It should be a recognition that there are people in society who we need to cater for. There are needs right across the spectrum.
I commend the Letterkenny venue on doing what it did for the Donegal-Fermanagh match over the weekend. It should be rolled out in every aspect of life. Digitalisation is great. People can put in a passport application online on a Monday and have it in the post on a Wednesday morning and that is fabulous. However, we absolutely have to be mindful of the people who cannot do things in the new ways we are asking of them.
Senator Craughwell spoke about, as he has quite a lot in the past couple of weeks, our referendum. He is probably accurate in his concern regarding information and misinformation. I concur with him and advise people the booklet we have received from the Electoral Commission is truthful, honest and 100% accurate. I advise everybody who will receive it in their household to have a good read so that they know exactly what they are being asked to vote on on 8 March and, more particularly, what they are not being asked to vote on, which is important.
Senator Martin Conway spoke about the concerns he has with some of the teething problems we have heard about with the bottle return scheme. The most obvious issue was brought up by last week by our colleague, Vicki Casserly, who is councillor in Lucan, probably because she is living the life that Senator Conway lives. Something is going on that perhaps the rest of us do not appreciate. The machines are not accessible for people who have disabilities. There are major problems for people who have vision issues and it absolutely needs to be addressed by the organisers.
Senator Boyhan raised the issue of St. John of God Hospital. I am dismayed by the announcement of St. John of God last week. It came as a great shock to both the HSE and the Minister. It probably should not have come as a shock, given the negotiations and that difficulties the St. John of God Hospital has been has experiencing for the past number of years have been made known to Brendan Gloster and staff in the HSE. I hope the decision is not final and there is room for people to come back to the table and address the issues. St. John of God, like many other organisations that provide services on behalf of the State, is a wonderful organisation. The service users and clients who go there are all gorgeous people. The 3,000 staff we have go over, above and beyond to look after the people they work with day in and day out. It must be an awfully uncertain and unsure time. A resolution needs to brought as quickly as it possibly can. It needs to be done. I will ask for a briefing for anybody who wants it. We will see if we can get an official from the Department to come and speak to people who are interested in finding out what is going on.
Senator Alice-Mary Higgins spoke about social justice and healthcare. She is very passionate about that and has been for a long time.
Senator Ahearn is looking for news on when the announcements for sport capital funding and grants will be made. To be fair, all of our sports clubs have received confirmation that their applications are all good and they are just waiting to hear the good news. From being with the Minister last Friday in my own neck of the woods, we will get announcements on equipment before we get announcements on the capital projects. The final negotiations between the Minister and the Department of public expenditure and reform as to how much money he will have to spend are coming to an end, which will be great. We will all know, please God, sooner rather than later.
Senators Erin McGreehan, Emer Currie and Fintan Warfield all welcomed the positive news coming out of Northern Ireland and the shared island fund of the Tánaiste, Deputy Micheál Martin. This morning, nearly €1 billion was announced over the next number of years that will benefit the likes of the A5 motorway, the observatories, the planetariums and the much-needed involvement and improvements in Casement Park, which is all very welcome. It shows that when people have hope, good policies and good politics deliver positivity for people. That is evident. I welcome that.
Senator Keogan spoke about a 50% reduction in mastectomy products for ladies who have had the awful cancer diagnosis and then changes and alternations to their body. I am at a loss to know why that would be done and I was not aware of it. I will make representations today and we will see what the reasons for it are, but I cannot think of any justification as to why. If a means test was introduced, it might a different thing. Women at such a vulnerable stage in their lives need to be supported and not have to be picky about what kind of equipment and clothing they would wear thereafter. I will come back on that later today.
Senator O’Loughlin spoke about the passing of Alexei Navalny last week. It is probably fair to say that none of us believe he passed away of natural causes. The two-week retention of his body that the Senator mentioned is just awful. His poor wife continued her plea at the Munich Security Conference even though his death had only been announced in the previous hours. One has to commend their patriotism to their people and to the political future they would like to see in Russia, as opposed to the cruel, brutal and barbaric one that the Senator described. I thank her for raising that.
Senator O'Loughlin also spoke about the attack on Shaykh Dr Umar Al-Qadri. I listened to him on the radio the other day speaking about the awful experience he had. It is shocking that there are people in our country who are mean-spirited and racist to the extent where they would actually harm somebody.
I thank the Senator for bringing it up this morning.
Senator Clonan asked for a debate but also the establishment of the task force that we all know is much needed. There does not appear to be any co-ordination between the multiple services that children in Crumlin, Tallaght or Temple Street hospitals need. He is looking for a debate and I will certainly see whether we can organise that.
Senator Cummins asked for a debate on our national aviation policy, particularly in line with his wishes for regional developments in Waterford, Shannon and Cork. We can certainly ask for that. Today, Senator Dooley opened by looking for a debate with the Minister, Deputy Foley, on the recent circular on the work of principals and the allocations of special needs resources to children who have additional needs in our schools up and down the country. I will try to organise that.
I join in congratulating the Deputy Leader on her victory at the weekend and compliment Senator Ward on his fine showing as well. I wish you well.