Senator Gerard P. Craughwell spoke about the employment status of councillors and mentioned a specific case. There is no doubt that the employment status of councillors needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency. They are told that they are paid an allowance, rather than a salary, and that they have to pay tax, PRSI and USC on that allowance. Senator Paul Coghlan has mentioned that the Local Authority Members Association and the Association of Irish Local Government will meet the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government in early course to address a number of items of concern to them. It is right that the representative associations should meet the Minister to make their case. I assure them that the vast majority of Members of this House support them in their efforts to secure proper employment conditions for councillors. Such conditions are not currently available to them.

Senator Tom Sheahan spoke about ambulance services and called for a debate with the Ministrer for Health on the National Ambulance Service. I will try to facilitate that debate.