I join other Senators in wishing Mr. Martin Groves well in his new role following his well deserved appointment. He has always worked extremely hard for everyone in this House. I wish him well in the future and look forward to working with him.

I join others in condemning what has happened in the United States in the past seven to ten days. I do not think it is the way forward for a peaceful world. A great deal of progress has been made in the past 50 years. Approximately 63 million people were killed in wars during the first 50 years of the last century. We seem to have forgotten quickly that horrendous atrocities occurred during that period. I accept that atrocities are occurring in the Middle East and other places. We need to work together to make sure there is peace. We should try to make progress with the peaceful resolution of conflicts. I do not think that is being helped by what is happening in the United States. Like Billy Senator Lawless, I know people in the United States who have worked with the United Nations and retained the passport of their country of origin.

They are now worried about their position. They worked for 15, 20 or 25 years and are now retired. They are concerned about their future in the United States. Some of them are married to Irish people.

The US President referred to the threat to people living in the United States. I have examined the figures. The number of murders associated with Islamic extremists is nine. The number of people killed by armed toddlers is 21. The number of people killed as a result of being knocked down by a bus is 264. The number of people killed by Americans is over 11,000. These are the figures for one year. The chances of a person being killed by an armed toddler are greater than by an Islamic extremist. This shows how silly the process undertaken by the US President has been. It is important that a message be sent to him, loud and clear, that he does not have support in this country and throughout the world. The Taoiseach should go to the United States to ensure we send a clear message on our views.

People have been focusing on what the US President, Mr. Trump, and his Administration have been responsible for in recent days. They have talked about a lack of empathy and compassion. Yesterday was the 33rd anniversary of the death of Luke Kelly. When I think of someone who showed empathy, compassion and love for those who needed it, I think of Luke Kelly because he showed them in abundance. He reached the hearts of so many in this country and throughout the world. It is long past time that a statue was put up to his memory in this city. I posted a message on social media in recent days and never had a response like it. People really feel strongly about this issue. I call on the Leader to raise it with the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Deputy Heather Humphreys, or whoever he believes is the relevant Minister. He should determine whether State funding is available and whether there is precedent for making it available. The answers could enable us to commence the process. I assume it would happen in partnership with Dublin City Council. Those involved would source a location and put up a statue to Luke Kelly.

The second issue I want to raise relates to delays in the making of GLAS and AEOS payments. Farmers have reached an agreement with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in the farmers' charter of rights 2015 to 2020. All of the farming organisations have been out protesting today. They have made the point that if any other payment in the State that is made as of right, for example, a social welfare payment or the old age pension, was one or two days late, it would not be tolerated. The matter would be sorted out, rightly so. The farmers affected have been waiting since October. The problem affects 9,000 farmers and the average payment involved is €4,000. Their farms are not sustainable without this money. The issue has been raised in the Chamber and we have been assured on numerous occasions that the matter will be resolved by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Michael Creed. I call on the Leader to ensure the moneys will be released to the 9,000 farmers affected as soon as possible in order that they can get on with the making of their livelihoods.