I ask the Leader to give an assurance that the debate with the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Fitzgerald, which was unfortunately delayed yesterday, might be reinstated at a later stage.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, and in support of Senator Bacik's earlier comments, I am again requesting that the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine attend the House. Clearly, there are several issues at hand which are within his remit. One is the fall in the number of testing investigations going on in meat plants in the past year. In addition, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland has yet to have its full board appointed. I appreciate that this is not within the Minister's direct remit, but it is a problem concerning this business.

The beef industry now finds itself in difficulty, specifically the workers at Silvercrest who find themselves in an unexpected position. Despite the great efforts of many, including farmers, to build up a strong industry, large UK multiples are removing their business from Silvercrest and taking it elsewhere. The urgency of this matter is increasing daily, so I would very much like the Minister, Deputy Coveney, to attend the House so that we can discuss the matter with him.