Everyone in the House has expressed their sympathies to the people of France on the tragic events in Paris, but the Government has said there is no increased risk of a terrorist attack in Ireland, something that is not borne out by the fact that three people from this country died fighting in Syria. The intelligence reports are that 30 people are currently fighting there and we know that the modus operandi of ISIS is for returning fighters to attack their home countries. We also know they are being encouraged to attack their neighbouring countries.

The UK estimates are that 2,000 UK residents have gone to fight in Syria, 500 of whom left this year. We know they will come back and their job will be to cause terror in England as well as here. Sending our troops abroad to bolster returning French troops is not prudent or wise. For the Government to say there is no increased risk of attack in Ireland does not lend itself to the security of the State. The Government needs to explain why it would send our troops abroad when, quite evidently, they will be required at home.

The Leader two weeks ago quite generously said he would facilitate a debate on a united Ireland. A study was launched yesterday in the Harvard Club in Manhattan, Modelling Irish Unification, done by a leading academic from the University of British Columbia who is the director of the Institute for European studies. It examined three different scenarios regarding unification, as well as regulation, tax harmonisation, the benefits in terms of cost reductions in transportation, currency issues and how the economy in the North would receive a 4% to 7.5% boost in its GDP if unification took place.

The study also showed that over an eight-year period there would be a €36.5 billion increase in productivity in the North and on the island. A "Prime Time" survey showed that 80% of people in the South are in favour of unification in their lifetime, that is, over the next two decades. I thank the Leader for organising and facilitating the debate on this. Our job is to argue for and against the proposition. I am in favour of it and all political parties on both sides of the House state their aim is to achieve peaceful unification, as per Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution and the Good Friday Agreement.

We need to examine studies such as that launched yesterday in America and determine how we can work towards the aims of Articles 2 and 3 and the Good Friday Agreement. It will not just happen; we have to make it happen. We have to do so in a constructive way and engage with all parties to ensure that what is being done will be done correctly. I, Congressman Brendan Boyle and his brother, who is a State Representative for Pennsylvania, will hold a number of events throughout the US to help with this issue. We need a discussion and debate on it because, as "Prime Time" showed, the people in the South are in favour of unification.

On Tuesday, we all expressed our deep horror at and condemnation of the attacks on Paris.

We will all have been watching with great interest the developments in Paris since then, the raids in the suburb of Saint-Denis yesterday and the resulting arrests. The debate which people sought on Tuesday, and which I said, as Deputy Leader, I would be happy to try to facilitate, on the greater security issues given rise to by the Paris attacks, is one we should have in the new year. We should seek to put in context our concerns about these appalling attacks and the ripple effect they have had in terms of heightened security fears, with flights being diverted and matches being cancelled across Europe in recent days since the attacks.

In two weeks time there will be a major conference in Paris on climate change. I am very hopeful we will have passed the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill by then. On Committee Stage the Minister agreed to take some important amendments which Senator Barrett had tabled with the purpose of ensuring the Seanad would have scrutiny over the annual development plans and the five-year plans on carbon emissions. I am hopeful we will see those amendments before the House on Report Stage and I would like the Leader to confirm the date for the Report Stage debate.

I would like to request two debates on different matters which, given the legislative schedule, we will not have time to facilitate before Christmas but which we might have in the new year. The first is on women in the arts, arising from the experience I had last Thursday chairing the extraordinary debate in the Abbey Theatre, Waking the Feminists. It would be good to have the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Heather Humphreys, in the House in the new year for a more general debate on gender and the arts. I would also like a debate on drugs policy. The Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality has recommended that a new approach be taken to possession of small quantities of drugs for personal use and that a harm reduction or health-based approach be taken in line with that adopted in Portugal. The Minister of State, Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, has expressed support for a similar model and it would be very helpful to have the Minister here in the new year to discuss his proposals and the recommendations of the Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality.