With regard to the US presidential election result, I pay tribute to Hillary Clinton. She is both capable and competent and, from a young age in college, she demonstrated her will and zeal for civil rights and equality. Her commitment in this regard is well documented. The US made history in electing a black President but on this occasion, the people did not want to continue in this vein and elect a woman President.

As Members have alluded to, we have to be real. Democracy has spoken and we all subscribe to democracy. I join with those who have sent congratulations to President-elect Trump. It has to be acknowledged he has succeeded against the odds. He was not supported by the political establishment of the Republican Party and, as he said, it was not just a political campaign, it was a political movement. He has given voice to an anti-establishment feeling among the majority of those who voted.

His victory also reflects people's antipathy to political correctness. Many people feel it is fake. They are suffering and politicians are being bogged down by political correctness. I agree and there is something to be learned from this. Against all these odds, he has succeeded in a democratic forum. We need to work with him and we need to get over ourselves, whatever other issues we have about what he does nor does not stand for.

These issues can be discussed in another forum. There is a great deal of trade between the US and Ireland. There are many US multinationals here, with many of them being the mainstay of employment in my own county of Mayo. I agree this result is similar to Brexit and we have to take a similar professional approach. Along with joining Senator Leyden in asking that we send our congratulations from this House, I would like the House to extend an invitation to Mr. Trump to address it at the earliest occasion he can do so. We must accept that there is a new order. We have to adapt and deal with that and we have to work with the President-elect.

I join colleagues in wishing the President-elect, Mr. Trump, best wishes in office. It has come as a bit of a surprise to the majority of us, similar to the Brexit vote. Perhaps there is a message for all of us that a large cohort of people feel disenfranchised and disconnected from the general populous. We would be foolish to ignore this and I address that remark to all politicians. To coin a phrase, we are where we are and we have to get on with it and respect the wishes of the American people.

Will the Leader bring to the attention of the Minister for Education and Skills an issue that has arisen in respect of SUSI grants, particularly for applicants who live independently? The general consensus is SUSI is working well and I compliment the staff. However, an issue has arisen for those who live independently and who do not meet the tight criteria SUSI applies. An example is a person on the rent-a-room scheme or someone who is renting an apartment and in receipt of a rent reduction for whatever reason. They do not seem to meet the black and white criteria of SUSI. It is disappointing that this barrier should exist at a time we are trying to encourage as many people as possible into further education. Will the Leader bring this anomaly to the attention of the Minister for Education and Skills in order that it can be addressed as a matter of urgency?

I congratulate Mr. Trump and I wish Hillary Clinton all the best in the future. She was a good friend to this country. The media and the polls got it wrong. People laughed on national radio about Mr. Trump and his carry-on but there is a lot of egg on a lot of people's faces. I would like us to open up Spike Island for all the celebrities who supported the Clintons and said they would leave America. We might have a bit of room for them down there because many of them were going to leave if Mr. Trump became President. He got the message right in the final two weeks about working class families and the way in middle America factories, coal mines and the steel industry were closed down. He hit the right chord and it won him many votes.

Two weeks ago, my local newspaper reported on the closure of accident and emergency departments, including the one in Navan hospital. The following week, politicians were saying it was not closing but it might close. Will the Minister for Health come to the House to let us know what is going on in accident and emergency departments that are threatened with closure or only opening for 12 hours? I would like him to come to the House to give us the full picture in order that we can debate the issue and not have politicians going to local newspapers scaremongering and getting people out to march around towns when there is no need to.

Like other Members, I would like to send my congratulations to President-elect Trump. I am sorry poor Hillary Clinton has not made it but, as a nation, we will have to deal with the American President. We have a great relationship as a country with America and no other country has the same access we have on St. Patrick's Day.

Very few other countries have a national day when the US President automatically meets a leader. I hope that next year our Taoiseach, whoever it is, will be there to meet Donald Trump with the bowl of shamrock. As Senator Leyden said, it is possible that may come from his own golf course.

Nobody has mentioned it yet but I welcome the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland, ASTI, and the Department attending talks at the Teachers Conciliation Council with the chair, Ms Anna Perry. It is very important. I raised the issue the week before the mid-term, in that we were looking at one further scheduled day of school because of strike action on the Thursday before the break. It is very welcome that last night the ASTI agreed to suspend its action, although we cannot be complacent about it. I am the chairman of a school board and the action of the ASTI caused enormous difficulty for school boards, pupils, parents and teachers. It would be helpful if the Leader could get the Minister in to speak to us about the difficulties so we could air them. According to the ASTI deputy general secretary, there is a very big gap between the Department and the ASTI. I welcome the development but we cannot be complacent. It would be helpful to have the Minister before us to explain where he is going on this. We cannot allow a position to develop where more than half the secondary schools in the country are closed with parents and pupils being seriously discommoded. Students, particularly those in exam years and studying for junior and leaving certificates, should not be put in a position where they cannot have their normal curriculum dealt with. They may be competing with other pupils who are getting taught because they are in a school with Teachers Union of Ireland or non-ASTI staff.