I welcome Blarney Street primary school from Cork. They are guests of Deputy John Paul O'Shea. I hope you enjoy your visit. It is customary that there is no homework for the rest of the day. I call Senator Martin Conway.

I would also like to welcome the school and second the Leas-Chathaoirleach's proposal of no homework. I am sure Deputy O'Shea would agree - for the week. I join Senators Mullen and Boyhan and others in paying a heartfelt tribute to the late former Senator Mary White. I had the privilege of serving with her in my first term in the Oireachtas. Not alone was she an outstanding Senator and a great contributor on issues to do with enterprise, she was also a trailblazer in business, having set up Lir Chocolates and run it very successfully. She was affectionally known by many as "Mary chocolate". She was a wonderful woman and I would like to pay my respects to her husband, Padraic, and her daughter.

I call for a debate on foreign affairs, specifically what is happening internationally. It is extremely serious. Ireland needs to show leadership. We have done so in the past and can now and into the future in terms of what is happening in Iran - I pay tribute in particular to the Minister for foreign affairs on her leadership on Iran - and what is happening in America. Just because we have a special relationship with the United States, it does not mean we should condone in any way what is happening and the behaviour towards Greenland and Denmark. As a country, we have influence in America. We now need to step up, do what is right and use our influence in America to push back against what is sadly becoming the soundings of dictatorship. It is totally wrong. It cannot happen and it should not happen. The language needs to be changed and there needs to be pushback. The whole world, where possible, needs to unite against what is happening and the provocative language being used in the United States at the moment.