I agree.

I am calling today for a further debate on Shannon Airport, in particular in light of the visit two weeks to these buildings by Major Ken Mayers and Tarak Kauff, a former US paratrooper. I am glad to say they received a tremendously warm reception. Ken is 82 years old and Tarak is 77. Since engaging in a peaceful protest on St. Patrick's Day, they have been on bail; their passports have been taken from them and they are unable to return home. The manner in which they have been treated by this State is nothing less than disgraceful.

Hear, hear.

It was wonderful to see people from every party, except one, stand with them when they came into the House. I regret that it was the Fine Gael Party that did not engage in support of these people. I note my colleagues from the mid-west are here. The good news is that there is another opportunity for them to do so this Friday at Ennis Circuit Court, where the latest hearing for these two fine, brave men will take place at 10.30 a.m. The men are applying for their trial to be transferred to Dublin. They cannot get a change in their bail conditions until that is agreed. What they have met to date is postponement after postponement. What the State is doing is, effectively, incarcerating these two fine men with a combined age of close to 160 in Ireland. This is being done because these men stood up and said what everyone knows to be the case, namely, that there is something terrible happening in Shannon day after day. There are US wars of aggression all across the Middle East, in Yemen, Afghanistan and Iraq and we are supporting those wars. Nobody on the other side of the Chamber has ever stood up and announced that we are doing the right thing in supporting what the US is doing at our airport because they cannot.

There is no defence for what is happening in Shannon. Senators are remaining silent about the prospect of these two fine men facing Christmas without being able to go home to their families. Surely to God we can all agree that the State should allow them to go home to their families. We should all agree to recognise the wrong that has been done to them. I encourage Senators to come along to Ennis at 10.30 a.m. this Friday. In common with a number of other people, I will be there to support Ken and Tarak by standing up and saying that justice should be done for these two fine men.

I welcome Senator Pippa Hackett to the Chamber. It is a happy and proud day for the Senator and her family. I wish her well.

I join other Senators in condemning what happened with Deputy Martin Kenny. It is absolutely abhorrent that his car was burned and his family was frightened. It really disgusts me. I spoke to the Deputy earlier. He has young teenagers who understand the danger. It is such a difficult situation. We have all become used to the negativity and the abuse we get online. When it comes to our homes and our families, it is a different story. I think we all have to speak out against that. We all disagree on occasion - I suppose we agree on occasion - but at the end of the day, this type of intimidating criminal behaviour should not be tolerated in a democracy.

I seek a debate on the report on State-funded contraception, which follows on from a request made by the Minister for Health. There is a lot of detail in the report. There has been a great deal of media discussion on what is being proposed. People have debated whether long-acting contraceptives should be provided and what age groups should be involved. The provision of State-funded contraception was one of the fundamental ancillary recommendations of the Joint Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution. Obviously, this recommendation must be a fundamental part of our efforts to avoid unwanted and crisis pregnancies. I am seeking a debate in the House on this topic as soon as possible.