I also extend my sympathy to Senator Henry and her family, as well as the family of the late former Senator Éamon de Buitléar. I also condemn the callous murder of the young detective garda, Adrian Donohoe, in the line of duty.

In Cork University Hospital and Beaumont Hospital a two-bedroom unit and four-bedroom unit, respectively, remain closed for epilepsy services. The unit in Beaumont Hospital was refurbished at a cost of €1 million but remains closed owing to the staff recruitment embargo. The consultant neurologist, Dr. Norman Delanty, is one of the country's foremost experts in epilepsy. He has said that he will be forced to send patients abroad for such services unless these units reopen. People who have been advised to go abroad for treatment have tried to access funding from the HSE.

However, they have been told by the HSE to access services in Beaumont Hospital. It appears as though the HSE is at odds with itself and its right hand does not appear to know what its left hand is doing. Although it is telling people to access these services, they are closed. Consequently, I add my voice to that of Senator Kelly in calling for a debate in the House in which the Minister for Health should participate. Moreover, this should not be an Adjournment debate, but I ask that the Minister participate in an open debate in which Members can ask questions of him on the matter. In addition, the ban on staff recruitment should be lifted to enable the opening of these units because more than 200 patients are waiting to access the services, some of whose lives are at risk.

I wish all the best to the Special Olympics team that has gone abroad to represent Ireland in the Winter Games in the coming weeks.

I join all sides of the House in expressing deepest sympathy to the Donohoe family, to the Garda Síochána as a body of fine men and women, as well as in condemning unreservedly the callous murder of a servant of Ireland who appears to have been an absolutely wonderful human being. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam. I also wish to be associated with the expressions of sympathy to the late Mrs. Henry, Senator Henry's mother, who was a wonderful woman. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam. In common with Senator Norris, I came into this House on the same day as did the late former Senator de Buitléar who was nominated to the then Seanad and who made a highly distinguished contribution during his time here.

As a member of the joint policing committees, JPCs, in both my native County Leitrim and County Sligo, I attended a meeting yesterday of the Leitrim JPC at which a discussion took place on a document that has been communicated by the Minister, Deputy Shatter, seeking proposals from the various JPCs nationwide on how best the aforementioned committees can more effectively represent community interests and consultation. At some point in the near future, the Leader might consider having a debate on that particular document in the light of the proposals in the Putting People First programme of local government reform of the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Hogan, under which a revised or reconfigured JPC will be operating. It might be useful for all sides of the House to have a debate on this issue and to establish the Minister's thinking in this regard. I am unsure whether there would be a need to further discuss it further with the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government. I would be grateful were the Leader to respond to this.

I commend the remarks of my friend and colleague, Senator O'Neill, in respect of the commemoration of Holocaust Memorial Day. I have visited a number of the concentration camps in Germany and Poland and have seen at first hand the horrors of the Nazi killing machine. Moreover, in the company of Senator O'Neill, I recently visited the German Bundestag, at which there is a memorial to democratically elected MPs who also perished in the Holocaust. As parliamentarians, Members should remember they gave the ultimate sacrifice in the preservation and protection of democratic traditions. However, I commend Senator O'Neill for continuing what has been a proud tradition in this House of recording the Holocaust memorial weekend.