I know we have a debate coming up but I want to raise the fuel protests. I left my house at 7 o'clock on Wednesday morning and I returned at 3 p.m. on Sunday evening. I spent my entire week in Foynes Port supporting those I consider my neighbours, friends and colleagues. I slept a couple of hours every so often in the cab of my husband's lorry because I needed a bit of rest. Those men who stood there and cried on me that they could not afford to keep going did not want to be there. They gave up a week's work to be there. I am delighted some Fine Gael Senators agree that mistakes were made and measures were not taken. I really wish to God that the Fine Gael Minister in County Limerick had the same compassion that they have today when he went on the radio and said that he could not wait for the Army to get into Foynes the quicker the better to pull each of them out. What kind of a Minister speaks like that about his own constituents? It was absolutely disgraceful. I had to video call my children because they were so afraid I was going to get taken away by the Army. He put fear into hard-working people in County Limerick, and it was an absolute disgrace to be threatened with the Army and water cannons. Those men and women did not want to be there but their voices were not being heard. They had absolutely no choice. They were pushed to the brink. Fine Gael Senators know because they come from that kind of background of farming and fisheries. Enough is enough. They cannot take any more. It is not just about farming and fisheries contractors; it is also about building contractors who were there. It is about every person and they said that. They were there for everyone. When the deal came out for the hauliers, they said: "No, we are not walking away." When contractors were added to the deal, they said: "No, we are not walking away because this is for everyone." They stood there in solidarity, and I stood with them. By God, if it was at an edge of a cliff I would stand there again and I would stay there until it got sorted. I really hope that lessons are learned. I hear it every single time but at least we see, from what I can read, that Deputy Michael Healy-Rae has learned a lesson and has decided to vote no confidence. I really hope others follow suit.

I welcome a young woman from Youthreach who is on placement with me for the next two weeks, Martina Quinn. I do not know whether Leinster House does work experience with Youthreach. It is an absolute pleasure having a young woman from the Traveller community who is very passionate about the rights of young people and especially young people in care. Martina was part of Comhairle na nÓg and spoke on the floor of the Seanad last year. She is a very intelligent young woman. I hope someday she will have the equality of opportunity to be a Member of either the Upper House or Lower House.

To the thousands of people listening today, the biggest message from Fine Gael, once again, is that it is going back to the working people who wake up early in the morning. I look forward to our debate later. It is a bit hypocritical that their colleagues in the Dáil support giving little or no support to the people on the ground who are struggling with the fuel crisis, and they come in here and have the cheek to say that they are on the side of the people. To me that is hypocritical.

I call for a debate on special education. I am supporting three families in County Donegal. Their three children are in Dungloe primary school for children with additional needs. The Department is now looking to move three of these young students to a secondary school where young students have little or no supports. I am looking for a debate on special education, if that is possible.

I, too, will talk about the fuel protests. I welcome the comments by Senators O'Donovan and Byrne. I commend the people right across the country who stood up last week and said that they just cannot do it any more. I was in Dublin and Cavan and all the people I spoke to were hard-working, honest and decent people fighting to save their livelihoods and their families' incomes. People were rightly shocked at the Government's decision to deploy the Defence Forces. The Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and Ministers chose not to engage with people to hear them out before jumping to send the Army against their own people. Gardaí had to clear up a mess created by the arrogance of a Government that was not listening. How can we have confidence in a Government that does not have the confidence in its ability to engage with its own people without the threat of force?

Before I came into the Chamber today, I was in my office listening to the contributions by TDs in the Dáil. They were talking about people delayed for three or four hours in traffic. Those people were merely inconvenienced. The people who were protesting were fighting for their livelihoods, for their ability to survive and to keep their businesses afloat. I went to Dublin on Wednesday after listening to "The Tonight Show" on Virgin Media and I thought, "What kinds of thugs are they talking about?" When I went up to Dublin, I got an awful shock - I knew every one of them. I knew every one of them from Cavan, from Monaghan, from Kells and from Meath. Not one of them would have been on O'Connell Street if they had the choice of being in a field. That is the truth. I thought to myself these are people I know and who my kids were reared with. They were reared in my kitchen. Fellows were pulled off tractors who have been in fields driving tractors since they were seven years of age. They were up to try to be listened to.

My neighbour was on the radio on "Liveline" yesterday.

It would do everyone good to listen to him. He pulled the pin on his business and spoke on the radio about how he cried leaving Dublin, escorted like he was some kind of a criminal. The young lads who were there never caused a problem in their lives. They were trying to give their message and they were treated like criminals. These are men who slept in their tractors not for the hell of it but because they are losing their jobs and businesses. I do not want to hear the Government talk about keeping our young people here because all those lads will be out of a job and will go to Australia and Canada like three of my four sons had to in 2008. They are agricultural contractors in Canada. We are losing good people because our Government does not understand what they are trying to tell it.