ST PATRICK'S DAY IN MONTSERRAT

That this House joins the people of the British Overseas Territory of Montserrat in celebrating St Patrick's Day on 17 March 2009 as their national day; recognises the bond of friendship, shared heritage and close relationship between the peoples of the United Kingdom and Montserrat that dates back to Christopher Columbus's epic journey in 1493; notes the resilient nature of those living on the Emerald Island of the Caribbean to recover and prosper following the eruption of the Soufriere Hills Volcano in 1997; and calls on the Government to continue to strengthen the close constitutional, economic and cultural ties that bind the peoples of Montserrat and the United Kingdom together.