Blue light sector awards
Senator Craughwell praised an event recognising blue light and voluntary sector workers, highlighting the skill of search and rescue dog teams and hoping the event comes to Ireland.
Tomorrow night in Belfast, there will be an event recognising those who work in the blue light sector for excellence and those who are in the voluntary sector as well. One of the great things about that event was one of the top people awarded was a man from County Wexford with search and rescue dogs. The level of training that goes into his dogs is incredible. They have worked internationally in very serious situations. It is something of which we should be very proud.
There is a hope that the same event will move to the Republic of Ireland later this year or early next year. It is only right and proper that we should recognise those from the blue light sector and the voluntary sector who put their lives on the line in saving lives.
The Commissioner for Survivors of Institutional Childhood Abuse in Northern Ireland has contacted me and provided a brochure asking people who lived in institutions in Northern Ireland and may have suffered abuse to contact her office. Many times in this House we have discussed abuse in the Republic of Ireland. The same happened in the North of Ireland and various other parts of the world. Details of the brochure will be available on my various social media, except for X. I am not on X because it is a toxic place and everybody should get the hell off it. Leaving that aside, I have the brochures in my office. If anybody wants one for their local area back home, they might drop me an email and I will send one along. It is really important that the commissioner is proactive in trying to find people and provide the supports they need.