On my own behalf and that of the Fine Gael Party, I wish to convey our condolences to the families, friends, relations and cousins of the five young girls who died. They are a tragic loss to their community. When young people die in such a way, it goes right to the heart of a community. It affects all of us across the board. When they come from one or two parishes within two miles of each other, if has a great effect on the county and beyond. For many reasons, timing and so on, it was a tragic event. Let us hope from this a lesson will be learned.
As the Minister said, the teachers in the schools affected have been there for the students, offering them support. There are also counsellors and other professionals available to help. That is very important because this will really affect the young people attending the schools. The five girls, four of whom came from one school, were all good young people, involved in their school, in their lessons and so on. They were the life and soul of their classes. They will be deeply missed. It is important that we are there for their families and the students and that we recognise that the next couple of weeks will be difficult, especially with examinations taking place. I hope allowances will be made and that they can move on.
I also pay tribute to the local services, the Garda Síochána, the ambulance service, the health boards, counsellors and the Civil Defence. The number of professionals available to deal with the accident and its aftermath was unbelievable and the way they worked together as a team was a credit to them. They showed how it should and can be done. I also pay tribute to the local people, the priests and doctors, who had a traumatic time dealing with the event.
I also extend my deepest sympathy to Deputy John Curran and his family on his daughter's death from illness.
