I thank the 25 Senators who contributed. I join Senator O'Donnell in welcoming the children from the school in Limerick whom I had the pleasure of meeting on the corridor. I also welcome the workers from Cavan Youthreach who are doing great work, not least having to endure Senator Wilson on occasion. I commend them on the great work they are doing. As a former director of adult education, I know they do tremendous work, which is of value to our communities and society.

Senators Conway-Walsh, Bacik, Wilson, Feighan, Daly and McFadden raised the ongoing issue relating to An Garda Síochána. It is important to recognise the importance of the force to our society and our communities. All of us should thank and commend the men and women who patrol our streets and neighbourhoods and who act as the guardians of the law to keep all of us safe. It is important that we acknowledge, and pay tribute to, the rank and file members of An Garda Síochána. We can all point out the community garda, local sergeant, inspector or superintendent in our communities who do Trojan work. They do this at unsocial hours at times and in difficult conditions. I am a member of the joint policing committee for Cork city and county and I am aware of the work gardaí do. They are as frustrated as many of us by the ongoing issues pertaining to the force. It is important that, as Senator Daly rightly said, we do not politicise the issue. That is why I will not take lectures from Sinn Féin Members regarding An Garda Síochána. Their new found interest in, and respect for, the force, while welcome, should always have been there and it should not be ambiguous.

Here we go again.

The Senator can pout all she wants.

The Leader is out of order again. He throws lots of digs and is very defensive.

It is important that we all have confidence in gardaí and the Commissioner-----

The Leader should stop lecturing us. It is his true form.

The truth hurts.

It is the Leader's default position to lecture and to get digs in every now and then.

The Senator should allow the Leader to continue without interruption.

The truth hurts. The facts are the facts.

The Leader is nasty.

If the Senator wants to go through history and speak about being "nasty", she should look at her own party's relationship with An Garda Síochána.

The Leader should please address the Chair.

He does not know how to address the Chair. Day in, day out, he is like a broken record.

The Senator should allow the Leader to conclude.

It is important that all of us have confidence in An Garda Síochána and in the Commissioner. All of us are concerned about, and frustrated by, the recent developments and the ongoing issues but it is important that we allow change, whether it is structural or cultural, to happen in the force. That is why the Minister for Justice and Equality has not been slow in bringing about reform and ensuring the appointment of Ms Kathleen O'Toole and the other appointments-----

She needs to go.

-----to ensure transparency and accountability in regard to An Garda Síochána. I very much welcome the appointment of Ms Kathleen O'Toole.

The Committee of Public Accounts is engaged in an ongoing investigation into the matters relating to the college in Templemore but all of us aspire to accountability and transparency regarding all matters relating to the force. The revelations are upsetting, worrying, frustrating and serious-----

So we do it in reverse.

-----and we must allow for that cultural change to take place. The repeated political requests of the Members opposite to get rid of the Commissioner are about looking for a head; they are not about structural change or transformation.

They are about credibility.

We all accept that matters relating to An Garda Síochána need to be sorted out and that is why the Government has not been found wanting in bringing about change. All of us are frustrated and annoyed because these matters undermine the work being done by the force, but there must be accountability and cultural change.

The Leader will undermine his party's position.

I will be happy to see that change happen in the coming months. We should allow the issues to be resolved.

Senators Boyhan, Conway-Walsh, Ruane, Devine, Bacik, Norris and O'Donnell raised social protection issues. Senator Boyhan raised a particular issue regarding the carer's allowance and I will take that back to the Minister. All the Senators raised the maternity benefit issue. I join those who expressed disappointment at the delay in the processing of the applications. A total of 1,300 women are awaiting the payment of this benefit. I have been informed by the Minister that additional staff have been appointed, overtime has been provided and there is an issue with the roll-out of a new system. Senator O'Donnell made a telling contribution regarding how the issue could be resolved by using the old method. The Minister should do that. As Senator Devine rightly said, women who are at their most vulnerable require that payment and the delays are unacceptable. Senator O'Donnell is correct that the Minister should be asked to postpone the implementation of the new system and the training of staff and have the payments made under the old system until the Department gets the structure right.

Senator Ardagh raised the motor insurance issue. The Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, along with the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, commissioned a report into motor insurance which has made 76 recommendations. All of us want a reduction in the cost of premia and there is a need for more change, to which we all look forward.

Senators Bacik and Norris raised the pensions issue in the context of the Social Welfare and Pensions Bill. I very much welcome head 14. Senator Norris referred, in particular, to the exclusion of Dr. David Parris. As the Cathaoirleach rightly said, that can be addressed in the Bill and I hope we can reach an accommodation on that.

Senator Bacik referred to the issue of blasphemy, about which we had a discussion yesterday. All of us recognise that there has been no conviction since 1855 but it might be no harm to have the offence removed completely. I am not against that.

Senators O'Reilly and Feighan raised the important issue of tourism in the Border area. As Senator O'Reilly rightly said, the Cavan area has a tourism product. Those who watched last Monday's edition of "Nationwide" could not but be impressed by the product on offer in Cavan and Monaghan. It is something that the Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport should come to the House to discuss. He is very much aware of the impact Brexit could have on the tourism strategy but the strategy needs to be accentuated and highlighted in respect of the Border counties and I would be happy to facilitate a debate on that.

I am happy to accept Senator Swanick's amendment to the Order of Business.

I join Senator Craughwell in pleading with the banks to take their corporate citizenship responsibilities seriously. They have an obligation and duty to work with people rather than holding the sword over them all the time. The Senator's points were well made as were those made by Senator Butler regarding the self-employed. The Minister for Social Protection has made significant changes and is working towards a bigger change for the self-employed. Senator Butler, who is a long-standing champion of the self-employed, made some good points.

Senators Devine and Reilly referred to the Tree of Hope.

It is important, as the Senator said, that people do ponder and reflect as they walk past. This is mental health awareness month, and it is important that an awareness is created, that people are able to talk about mental health and that there is an opportunity to have that discussion. As was mentioned yesterday when discussing the Cinderella element of the health budget, there is a stigma associated with mental health that we need to overcome, and that can only be done by having public events where people can speak about the pain of isolation, loss, anxiety and loneliness and other frustrations that have been bottled up for years. Government, despite what some people will say, have put in place a number of measures that will be of benefit to people, but we have a road to travel yet, and I fully subscribe to the view that any initiative that we can take to allow people to speak and highlight mental health is to be welcomed.

I thank Senator Warfield and Senator Norris for joining me this morning to meet the Russian ambassador to highlight the issues in Chechnya and Russia. It is frustrating when one hears the ambassador saying that there are no issues and that all people are treated with respect, but as Senator Norris said we have an issue to deal with.

I would be happy to take Senator O'Reilly's amendment to the Order of Business, and I thank him and Senator Burke for their remarks regarding an autism strategy. We will have that debate next week in the House.

Senator Gavan brought up the issue of the Good Friday Bill. I share with him the desire to reduce the harm alcohol has on our society, and as the former chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Health - our first piece of work was about alcohol - who has scrutinised the public health and alcohol issue, I am working on having that Bill back in the House before the summer recess. I am not hiding or demurring from my responsibilities in any way. I will always be willing to work for public health, as is Senator Gavan. We are not in any way preventing consideration of the measure. From speaking to the Department of Health and the Minister of State at the Department of Health I know she is anxious to progress the Bill on which work is ongoing. It is nearing completion. I as Leader gave a commitment to Senator Lawless on the Bill, and it is hoped we will have it back before the summer recess.

Our priority should be the public alcohol Bill.

We are working to progress that legislation.

Senator Feighan raised the issue of tourism around his area of Roscommon, and he is right to raise that point. It is important that we see a tourism strategy post-Brexit.

Senator Ó Domhnaill raised the issue of Brexit negotiations and the Taoiseach's availability to come to the House. We had former taoisigh before the Special Committee on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union, so it is hoped the Taoiseach will appear before that committee as well. If we look at the agreement secured by the Taoiseach in terms of the recognition of the unique constitutional status of the North and the issue around the Good Friday Agreement and the entire territory of the island of Ireland, we will see that the Government's strategy around Brexit has worked so far. The outcome is attributable to the work of the Taoiseach, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Flanagan, the Minister of State at the Departments of the Taoiseach, Foreign Affairs and Trade and Justice and Equality, Deputy Dara Murphy, and all of Government, through its diplomatic and political campaigns in recent months.

I would be happy to have the Taoiseach come to the House or to the Brexit committee. The Taoiseach has been a true leader, and has not politicised Brexit. He has worked across the world pursuing an intensive campaign on the importance of Ireland in the European Union and our unique position. That will be recognised at the European People's Party later this week. We all support the peace process and the need to protect the Good Friday Agreement. That is not a political mantra but has been at the heart of Government. I agree with Senator Ó Domhnaill that we need to have a flexible and imaginative solution to ensure that we do not have a hard border in our country and that there is a need to protect the special status of not just the North but of all of Ireland. I look forward to the debate with Monsieur Barnier tomorrow, and I thank the House in advance of the agreement of the resolution later.

Senator Paul Daly is correct in that we should always keep the victims of crime at the forefront of what we do.

Senator McFadden raised the issue of the 110th Infantry Battalion heading off to the Lebanon. On behalf of this House I wish them a very safe and peaceful mission. We are fortunate as a nation that the men and women who serve in our Defence Forces go overseas and act in a way that other countries are extremely complimentary of. The Army has a very strong affinity to Lebanon, and I again commend the troops and wish them well on their mission. I thank Senator McFadden, who has been a strong advocate of the Defence Forces. Senators MacLochlainn and Craughwell have raised the issue of the Jadotville group in the Congo. We will bring resolution to the matter, which has been supported by all of us in this House, in the coming weeks.

Senator Davitt raised the issue of vacant houses and voids. The Senator is correct in that creativity and imagination should be used to fix the situation around voids and vacant houses, and every consideration should be given to the matters he raises on the issues of taxation and capital gains tax. That should be looked at.

Senator Coghlan raised the matters of the gorse fires again today. We had very good contributions yesterday by many Senators on the Order of Business. I repeat my line from yesterday that those who break the law on burning gorse should be pursued and prosecuted, and I would be happy for the Minister to come to the House to discuss that.

Senator Ó Clochartaigh raised the issue of our coastal communities, which are very important to our country. The issue of a report on sustaining rural communities and the issue of the maritime area and foreshore licences were brought up. I would be happy to have the Minister come to the House to discuss that matter.

Senator Colm Burke also raised the issue of respite care, and the point made is one on which we have to have a special debate. I am endeavouring to have the Minister come to the House to discuss that. He also raised the matter of the primary school and post-primary school sector and planning for the future needs of children. He cited the issue yesterday, and it is a matter that needs to be addressed through a Government-wide approach. I look forward to having that debate.

I will accept the two amendments to the Order of Business from Senators Reilly and Swanick.