I call on the Leader to announce the Order of Business. I will do the welcome after he has done so.

The Order of Business is No. 1, International Protection Bill 2026, Second Stage, to be taken at 4.45 p.m. and to conclude at 6.45 p.m., if not previously concluded, with the opening remarks of the Minister not to exceed ten minutes, group spokespersons not to exceed eight minutes, all over Senators not to exceed five minutes, time can be shared and the Minister to be given no less than ten minutes to reply to the debate; and No. 2, Health Information Bill 2024, Committee Stage to be taken at 6.45 p.m. or on conclusion of No. 1, whichever is the later.

Ba mhaith liom cuir fáilte to the Distinguished Visitors Gallery the ambassador from Bulgaria. The ambassador is here to mark the Bulgarian national day on 3 March. It marks the date of national liberation and restoration of the Bulgarian state after nearly five centuries of Ottoman rule. The Irish connection dates back more than 100 years. A County Limerick man, from Bruff, no less, James Bourchier was a champion of national interests in Bulgaria. He led the delegation from Bulgaria that was involved in the negotiations on the Versailles Treaty. Such was his national fame and in honour of his efforts, a boulevard and a metro station in Sofia were named after him. His resting place is in a monastery, a privilege granted to very few foreigners.

Bulgaria and Ireland are both members of the European Union. We work together to strengthen our relationships there. There are nearly 8,000 members of the Bulgarian community in Ireland. They live in Cork, Dublin, Ennis, Shannon, Tullamore, Monaghan and Waterford and are involved in academia, IT, engineering and the medical industry. We welcome the ambassador on Bulgaria's national day. Happy Liberation Day. Fáilte go dtí Seanad Éireann.

I add my voice to the welcome for the Bulgarian ambassador.

I congratulate the Local Authority Members Association, LAMA, and its president, Damien Ryan, general secretary Brian Lawlor and executive. We had a really excellent evening on Saturday. A number of Fianna Fáil Senators and I were delighted to be there to support the local authority members from all around the country. It is the 20th year of the LAMA awards, the 40th year since the establishment of LAMA and the 100th year of IPB Insurance. As a result, there were three celebrations. There were 533 projects submitted, which showed a huge breadth of ambition and vision throughout the country. These were in six different categories, namely community, economic development, infrastructure, collaboration, environment and national impact. Well done to all of those who won awards and, indeed, to all of those who submitted. Because it is the 40th year of LAMA, we should organise something. Maybe the Seanad could write to the Ceann Comhairle and ask her to host a reception for LAMA.

We were all shocked when we saw the events unfolding in Iran over the weekend. We acknowledge the years of oppression and torture under the current regime in Iran. What has happened there in the past was absolutely shocking. At the same time, bombing a country and killing innocent civilians was incredibly heavy-handed. We absolutely need to call out the fact that 85 schoolgirls were murdered. There is no doubt that we want to see regime change and an end to the oppression that women and citizens in Iran have been facing daily. We certainly do not want to see the oppressive regime of the Shah back in Iran either. The women of Iran have lived through years of subordination. We would hope that with the top level of the regime now gone, there will be an opportunity for democracy and a future founded on a democratic republic and that the current dictatorship will be rejected and that there will be no return to what happened under the Shah.

I want to mention Maryam Rajavi, who brought forward a ten-point plan calling for freedom of expression and assembly, separation of religion and State, gender equality, abolition of the death penalty and free and fair elections. Thousands of innocent people have been murdered, and we certainly hope that a fairer and more democratic future for the people of Iran will happen. The bombing needs to stop. This is not the way forward.