On behalf of my colleagues in the Sinn Féin Party, I warmly welcome Senator Máiría Cahill to the Seanad. I wish her very well and every success. I acknowledge the presence of her family and friends in the Gallery. Like previous speakers, I think it is appropriate to remember the former Senator Jimmy Harte and to wish him every success in his recovery. It has to be said that I had some fiery exchanges with Jimmy here in the Seanad, but he was still a good friend and a good colleague. I hope he continues to recover. I welcome his daughter to the Gallery.

On behalf of Sinn Féin, I express my sincerest sympathies to all of those who lost their lives in Paris when brutal acts of terror were carried out by the people who were responsible for those attacks. As somebody said, we do not have to be neutral on these issues. We can be a neutral country, but that does not mean we cannot act or show support or solidarity to those who lost their lives in these tragic attacks.

We must look at what being neutral means but it does not mean staying silent on issues like this. I am also heartened to see that various Islamic organisations in Ireland have spoken out very clearly and condemned these attacks. It is very important for us to focus on that because there have been a number of attacks on Muslims in recent days. A Muslim family in the North was attacked yesterday which should be condemned utterly. There is no place whatsoever for such attacks. As other Senators have said, we are in a republic and we should be tolerant of the faith of all people here. I am very heartened by the very strong condemnation which has come from all the Islamic organisations which have distanced themselves from these acts of brutality which were carried out by people who are twisted and who have a twisted ideology. It is to be hoped we can have more comprehensive statements on these issues in Seanad Éireann in the coming days or weeks and I ask the Deputy Leader to arrange such a debate. It is important we focus on what is causing these problems and what the solutions might be.

I wish our former colleague and good friend, Senator Jimmy Harte, the very best in his continued recovery. We look forward to seeing him in the House again very soon. I also warmly congratulate our new colleague, Senator Máiría Cahill, on her election to Seanad Éireann. While she may think there is not a lot of time left in this term, I suggest that it is quality rather than quantity that matters in terms of her contribution to society. I point out to everyone that in the past 12 months, Senator Cahill has made a very positive contribution to this society and I have no doubt she will continue in that vein in Seanad Éireann.

Like everyone else, I condemn and express my outrage at what happened in France last week. We have a major problem with religious fundamentalism and the world order as we know it is changing quite dramatically. I agree that it is a good idea to get the Government's perspective on this with a statement from the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald, in this House at the earliest possible opportunity. Seanad Éireann has a role to play in terms of discussing and deliberating on such matters and I support Senator O'Brien's proposal in this regard.

As the Fine Gael Seanad spokesperson on justice, I wholeheartedly agree with everything Senator O'Donovan said about the Garda leak that caused the headlines we all saw last Wednesday and Thursday. It is shameful that a person's good name would be undermined when that individual has not even been questioned by An Garda Síochána. I look forward to a full investigation into this matter. I understand there are now three investigations into media leaks from An Garda Síochána, which is a very serious matter. I look forward with interest to the results of those investigations.