Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)

I reiterate the comments of colleagues in wishing the Cathaoirleach all the best and congratulations on his elevation to the role. I was on the agriculture committee previously. All Oireachtas committees have a job of work to do with legislation and all of that but there is also a huge job of work done in teasing out the detail, and looking at proposals coming from Government or sectors in order to identify the consequences that people might not see at first hand. What are the second and third consequences down the road? What are the unseen elements of it? It is an opportunity to do all of that and, sometimes, to hear the voices that are seldom heard and allow them a space to be heard. It is vital that we do that and do it in a fair and open way. As Senator Boyhan said, there is the fact that it is public and on the public record. That is useful.

With regard to the work we do here, sometimes whether it is in the Seanad Chamber or the Dáil Chamber, you have two minutes and you have to say a little bit, and then the Minister says a little bit and you do not get into the conversation. At the committee, you can get into the conversation and the detail, and that is vital. A small piece of advice I have is that when we set out the timeframe members will have to question witnesses when they come in, that needs to be borne in mind. There needs to be a reasonable timeframe for people to ask questions, get responses and follow up on those responses. That is what will give us the best outcome from any engagements we have with people.

As ever, the issues are well known. Agriculture is a key industry across the length and breadth of this country. The whole agrifood industry is vital but it also goes to the core of rural Ireland. Not everything in rural Ireland is about agriculture but, at the same time, it is close to it. It is there in every community and it is a part of every community. That is why it is vital that the work we do here pays dividends, that we make the right choices and decisions, that we be judicious in what we try to achieve, do it in a way that will bring the best outcome for everybody involved and try to find unanimity where we can. That is what we have always tried to do in the past and I hope we will continue to do that.

Again, I wish the Cathaoirleach well and I thank all the staff and everybody involved. This does not happen without a whole lot of people in the background who work very hard. I am sure we will all work with them equally as hard as we did before.