Before I call on our next speaker, it gives me great pleasure to welcome Mrs. Mary McGahon and Mr. Johnny McGahon, the parents of our colleague, Senator McGahon, to the Gallery. The McGahon family has great standing in the politics of County Louth, with the late Brendan McGahon serving as a Deputy. The Senator's friend, Cora Clarke, is here also and is very welcome. On that note, in front of his parents, I call on Senator McGahon.

No pressure, a Chathaoirligh.

No pressure at all.

Absolutely no pressure. Here we go.

You are seeking a debate on the Order of Business, I hope.

This is it.

Before I begin, it is great to have both my parents here, and in particular Cora. At 32 years of age, I would not be a Member of this House if it was not for the love and support of my parents over those 32 years, so I thank both my mum and my dad so much.

Hear, hear.

A very important vote is taking place today in the House of Commons on the Windsor Framework agreement. It is clear that vote is going to pass with a resounding majority. Even parts of the Conservative Party that were for a long time sceptical about it are going to back this deal. That sends a strong message about how important it is going to be to have the institutions in Northern Ireland back up and running as soon as possible. Once we have them back up and running, we can assuage and fix some of the concerns some political parties may still have about the Windsor Framework agreement. Make no mistake, that framework agreement puts Northern Ireland in an enviable economic position with one foot in the Single Market and seamless trade with Britain. It is going to be such a good selling point to offer to businesses across the world to show them Northern Ireland is a place to come and do business in. One of the benefits of that will be for towns like my home town of Dundalk, where there will be a huge overspill of cross-Border business and funding. Money will be coming into Border areas that have suffered for the last 20 or 30 years. This is a deal to be really happy with and proud of. I look forward to it being passed overwhelmingly in the House of Commons, but it is important our Government and that of the UK ensure we get Northern Ireland's institutions back up and running as soon as possible.

A fortnight ago we all learned about the 58 schools that are having construction projects effectively put on hold. We have never had a full list or a precise set of criteria for why those projects have been put on hold. In recent days we learned some schools are being told they are no longer on the list, while others have got no phone call at all, save the original call to say a particular school construction project is not happening for now. If the truth be told, we are seeing a political game being played out between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, and one designed to hurt each other in terms of what schools are on that list. It is despicable.

I have been dealing for a number of years with Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire on Parnell Square, Dublin 1. It is into its 21st year in temporary accommodation. The school community marked their 20-year anniversary in a decrepit building where the car park is also the school yard. It is only through the incredible efforts of the school community that there is a wonderful school there. Year after year, the Department of Education pays out €328,000 in rent and the school has had so many false dawns and disappointments. The school was told the sod could be turned at Easter time this year. The school was going to be fast-tracked through the stage 3 process because it has been so shamefully let down over so many years and now the project has been put on hold. There is a site on Dominick Street lying vacant since 2008 waiting for that school and it still has not happened. I asking that the Ministers for Education and Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform come to the House to explain what exactly is happening with the 58 schools.

Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire, and other schools across the country, cannot wait any longer.

I am not sure if it has been done already, but I congratulate the Irish rugby team on its amazing grand slam victory. It is only the fourth time in its history for the team to have done it. I congratulate the team's captain, Johnny Sexton, the coach, Andy Farrell, and the entire team. They lifted the spirits of the nation enormously on what was an important weekend, winning the grand slam for the first time on St. Patrick's weekend in the Aviva Stadium against England in the last match. Congratulations should go from all of us on behalf of Seanad Éireann.

You, a Chathaoirligh, represented the country abroad, as did many others. We should acknowledge how much value we get as a country from all the people, including you, a Chathaoirligh, all the Ministers, Ministers of State, and the Ceann Comhairle, who go abroad to represent us. As somebody said, imagine how much money Coca-Cola would pay to get a river turned its colour and Times Square covered in its branding, which we get for nothing as a nation on every continent right across the world. It is so important and it is very valuable. I give credit to the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, and everybody involved in all the various missions, including you, a Chathaoirligh, and all you have done.

Many of us are wearing our daffodil pins today and various daffodil paraphernalia. I wish the Irish Cancer Society the best of luck on Friday. I was talking to people involved in it this morning at the fundraiser downstairs. It has a challenge it did not have previously because an awful lot of people do not go to work on Fridays, as they work from home. The fundraising that naturally occurs on a Friday will get a lot less footfall. I ask people to think about that and perhaps to go online and do it in other ways, for example, support it on a Thursday, or whatever else. I do not think there is a family in Ireland that has not been touched by cancer. The Irish Cancer Society does great work and I would like to support it.

As we look at the expansion of the Defence Forces that has come following the report on its future by the Commission on the Defence Forces, it is appropriate for us to have a debate on how we can go forward with that, in particular from the point of view of the provision of services around the country. I had the privilege of joining the captain and crew of the LE William Butler Yeats in The Hague on St. Patrick's Day. There are very few groups within Ireland that act for the country of whom we can be as proud as we are of the Naval Service. One of the joys of the expansion of the service is that we have obtained two coastal patrol vessels from New Zealand to act as part of the Naval Service. They will patrol the Irish Sea, among other areas.

It is appropriate we look at where future bases should be located. I have always thought that Dún Laoghaire is the perfect place for a naval base to patrol the Irish Sea. Geographically, it is right at the centre of the east coast. More importantly, Dún Laoghaire Harbour, which is an historic harbour, that has been there since the 1830s, is accessible at all points and times of the tide, which is not true of every port. It is not a busy port in the way the ports of Dublin and Drogheda are. There is not a lot of commercial traffic in or out of it, so it allows very easy access for a Naval Service vessel to and from the Irish Sea. It also has accessibility, because it has a train station, so it links people from an extensive area up and down the east coast who could commute to a place like Dún Laoghaire to serve on that vessel. In addition, the harbour itself has capacity physically within its waters but also in terms of the land adjacent to the harbour. There is a lot to recommend a place like Dún Laoghaire, which has such an important maritime heritage as well, with the Commissioners of Irish Lights, the Irish Sailing Association, and the National Maritime Museum based there, as well as the water sports and sailing centres. It seems to me to be a very appropriate place. As we look towards expanding the Defence Forces, it is the perfect place to have a base for patrolling the Irish Sea, patrolling our waters, and protecting our borders.