I welcome to the Public Gallery Jack Fagan and Alex O'Brien, transition year students from Ardscoil Phádraig in Granard, who are here for the day to see what goes on behind the scenes in Leinster House.

I propose an amendment to the Order of Business, that No. 9 be taken before No. 1.

I pay tribute to a former friend, colleague and political adviser of mine and of all of us in Fine Gael in Longford, Louis Belton, who passed away last weekend. The slogan back in the 1980s when Louis was campaigning to regain the Fine Gael seat in Longford that had not been held since the time of the great General Seán MacEoin, whom we commemorated last weekend in his home village, was "Give Longford a Say, Vote Louis J". Louis was involved in politics since 1979, with a family involvement that went back to the foundation of the State. He served on Longford County Council and various boards. He was elected as a Deputy, served as a Senator and subsequently regained his seat in the Dáil. He was a friend to us all, including me and a number of other members of the local authority in Longford. He was my first port of call as a political adviser. He sometimes rang me even before I got to ring him to discuss whatever issue it might be. He was a good friend to everybody in Leinster House. Any of the ushers and other staff who knew him and to whom I have spoken have said that. He was a fantastic character and very witty. He was a great sports person and a great GAA person. Only four weeks ago, he stood in Pearse Park in Longford along with Shane Doyle, the captain of his local GAA team, as the team accepted the intermediate championship cup, having beaten my home team. Louis's team had been waiting 40 years for victory and my team was waiting 33 years. We have another year to go but I am delighted Louis was there to see his team's victory. It is important that we remember the great service he gave to our community in Longford, whether his constituency was Longford-Roscommon or Longford-Westmeath. He was a Longford man through and through. I express my sympathies to Anita, his sister, Maureen, and all the Belton family.

I welcome to the Public Gallery guests of Senator Horkan, Julie Birch and Eileen Deely. Julie is a daughter of Eileen, who is married to the iar-Chathaoirleach, Senator Denis O'Donovan. Julie and Eileen are great friends and are very welcome. They are in the good company of Senator Horkan, who I hope is buying them copious amounts of lunch, dinner and alcohol. I hope they have a very pleasant day.

I call for the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, to come to the House and answer the question of whether it is finally time to talk about immigration to this country. Is it finally time for all of us to talk openly and honestly about this, the most important issue in the country today? Is it time for everyone to come together and hash out some semblance of a workable plan, a logical way forward or anything approaching a coherent and consistent approach to how this country, and the Government, is going to handle the unsustainable level of inward migration we have been experiencing for the past two and a half years? Is it time to take the handling of this issue out of the hands of the Cabinet and the Departments and into the hands of the Houses of the Oireachtas, where ideas can be put, debated, scrutinised and can live or die on their merits, where there is accountability, with anyone being able to look in and see exactly what is being said and who is saying it, and where the public does not have to figure out what its own Government is doing from Cabinet meeting leaks or mealy-mouthed departmental press releases?

Is it possible for this country to have a coherent approach to immigration? We all know how much Irish Governments love to engage in boom-to-bust cycles, but the sheer brazenness of the Government's complete lack of foresight on this issue is mind-boggling. It apparently made zero connection between unlimited inward immigration and eventually having nowhere to put people, which saw it then trying frantically to turn off the tap. Everyone else made this connection; just not the Government. I would love for any Minister to tell us how that happened. I know we will not get an apology and we will never get ownership, accountability or any recognition of the truth. We are used to that by now. However, I ask that we have a debate on the issue in these Houses.

I second the amendment to the Order of Business proposed by Senator Carrigy.

I join the Senator in paying tribute to Louis Belton, a man with whom I was very friendly. We did not agree on politics but we had many good meetings and greetings. When I would slag Longford, he would always remind me that I was born in that town. He was never long in telling me that. He was a dapper dresser, as people around here would knew, and always to be seen dressed to the nines. Louis was a really nice man and I express my sympathy to his relatives and friends.

Will the Leader ask the Minister for Health or one of the Ministers of State at that Department to come to the House to address the issue of sepsis? It is not that we want to frighten anyone but the fact is that 3,000 people annually are losing their lives in this country as a result of sepsis. It is affecting 15,000 people every year. Communities in this country are not tuned into the danger. When we meet the families of young children and others who have lost their lives from sepsis, we see the utter heartbreak it causes. People can develop sepsis very quickly. I am seeking an update on the issue. The HSE has created a prominent public awareness campaign but we need to do a lot more.

I ask that the Minister come in to give an update on what is happening and to ensure that all of us know about the dangers of sepsis and how we can deal with blood poisoning, which really challenges the human body.