I thank the Chair.

I agree with Senator McFadden's comments on the Army. There needs to be a realistic examination of soldiers' pay and conditions. We are losing so many. Senator Craughwell has raised this on many occasions. We should consider it. I suggest that the Minister of State at the Department of Defence be brought to the House very shortly to have a good debate on this issue. It is vital. I realise the economy is a factor but the soldiers are suffering all the time. We are losing troops.

I commend Senator Marshall. His contribution to the House today on the North and the setting up of the assembly was excellent. The matter is so serious. The North has the potential to have its own Ministers working, as was the case in the past. We appeal to those concerned to come together, form a power-sharing executive and get on with it.

I congratulate all the councillors who were elected. I commiserate with those who were not. In my area, Mr. Dominick Connolly was a casualty. He was an excellent councillor for a very long time. Unfortunately, he was just not elected. It is tough but he is taking it very well. I wish him well. Another day – lá eile – will come for all those who contested and were not successful. We all congratulate those who contested and were successful, as was said by the Leader of the Opposition, Senator Ardagh.

The Government should not be fearful of giving adequate remuneration to the councillors, who receive €16,700 minus PRSI and the universal social charge. The pressure on councillors is significant. Everyone in this House will realise councillors are inundated with requests for contributions, requests in respect of advertisements and congratulations on the opening of a new shop, and requests for donations to all the charities and social clubs. If they do not contribute, they will lose votes. One has to help to pay for it. What is occurring is just not realistic. Senators are also caught in these circumstances. I request that the Leader ask the Minister to come to the House to discuss again-----

Senator Mark Daly has beat Senator Leyden.

Senator Leyden is trying to conclude.

He is a colleague of mine. Everyone who was a councillor and was elected to this House will agree it is about time we faced this issue. We should not be afraid, in facing this issue, that the electorate will somehow say councillors are not entitled to what I propose. They are doing a great job.

Only three female councillors were elected to Roscommon County Council this time. There were four on the last occasion. One of the councillors could not continue working because her job did not allow her to be on the council. We want more women in public life and we need to support them. With the remuneration concerned, it is very difficult for a woman, with her partner or otherwise, to pay for childcare and so on. It is just not an attractive proposition financially. I wish all the councillors well. I wish all the candidates in the European Parliament election well, whether they are successful or not. They made a great contribution to democracy by contesting the election.

I join my colleagues in congratulating those who put themselves forward for election. I first spoke in this House about the issue of remuneration for county councillors in 2014. Nothing has happened since.

The Senator made enough promises.

Nothing has happened since. If the Leader is talking about promises, and I do not know why he always feels he has to attack when I stand up and tell the truth-----

Because the Senator talks nonsense the whole time.

Respect the Chair.

The Leader talks about promises-----

We are on the one panel. That is why.

If the Leader is talking about promises, he should note his party has made more promises than I care to think of to councillors around the country that they will be sorted out.

The Senator is a good man for making promises himself.

It was definitely happening at Hallowe'en and then it was going to happen sometime else.

If these interruptions continue, we may have to suspend for 15 minutes.

My apologies. It is just that we are on the one panel in the Seanad.

Allow Senator Craughwell to proceed.

It has been well and truly discussed at this stage. This morning, we turned on our radios and listened to retired commandant Cathal Berry, one of Ireland's finest soldiers, a man who joined the cadets, became a ranger, took leave of absence over five years, became a medical doctor and eventually took over as the officer commanding at the Curragh medical college. That man left the Defence Forces because he loved them. He did not leave because he was disgruntled. He left because he loved them. I have met the man. He left because of pay and retention. We have been told time and again that the independent Public Sector Pay Commission will report on this. I want the Minister for Defence, an Taoiseach, Deputy Leo Varadkar, to come to this House and explain to us why the Defence Forces' submission was first sent to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform before it was passed to the Public Sector Pay Commission, which is independent. Why was it not sent directly to the commission? Why did that happen? Did the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform doctor the document that was sent to the commission? Why was it done? It was not done with any other submission.

Have we any law and order?

We are told that the Department of Defence has it. Why do the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers, RACO, and the Permanent Defence Force Other Ranks Representative Association, PDFORRA, not have it? I understand that the representative bodies were sent for to be told what was in the commission's report, were promptly dismissed without being given a copy of the report, and do not know what is in it. I am blue in the face, as are Fine Gael Party members. Senator McFadden stands up in the House weekly and supports the Defence Forces, and she is well known for it in Athlone, as is Senator Leyden. This is outrageous. We need the Minister for Defence, an Taoiseach, Deputy Varadkar, to come to the House and answer.

Deputy Kehoe is the Minister for Defence.

He is not Minister for Defence.