I agree wholeheartedly with everything said by Senator Paschal Mooney about the LE Eithne and her crew and the sterling service it provided on behalf of all of Europe in the Mediterranean. I am pleased it has been replaced by a sister ship. I pass on our good wishes and congratulations to Rear Admiral Mellett on his position and promotion. He is shortly to take up the role of Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces.

I also sympathise and pass on our condolences to the widow of Alexis Fitzgerald, Mary Flaherty, on his untimely passing. As has been said, he was a very friendly man whom many of us knew very well and held in high regard. I also extend my sympathy to our good friend and colleague Deputy Joe O’Reilly on the death of his mother.

I, too, add my condolences to the family of Alexis Fitzgerald.

There is much congratulatory talk this morning about the crew of the LE Eithne. It is rather surprising that it has had to make a claim to be compensated for overseas service and that it has not been met on the same terms as those that would have been afforded had the crew been on UN service.

I do not know how far that claim has progressed but for those who put their lives in jeopardy to serve this country, rescuing refugees in the Mediterranean is not just about the issue of rough seas and so on. We see they are garbed up when they undertake these rescues, but we do not know if sick people are being brought on board that ship. When these men and women of the Naval Service are away from home, there is serious family hardship. I ask the Leader to inquire of the Minister about the claim with respect to their overseas service payment.

We should note that Rear Admiral Mark Mellett is the first ever naval officer to take over as Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces and it is a great day for the Naval Service. With respect to what we saw on the "Prime Time Investigates" programme last night on procurement, will the Leader ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if there is a role for the Garda? There are hundreds of patients on trolleys in hospitals, yet people are accepting holidays in Portugal and elsewhere. I am not saying anybody is guilty at this stage, but if money is going astray - we heard this morning that ten times the price was paid for a particular article - surely that is fraud and there are criminal offences that should be investigated.

On the issue of homelessness, I remind the House that Senator Fidelma Healy Eames has brought to our attention the fact that 17 pregnant women are homeless in Dublin this very day.