Ms Rachel Coyle:

I thank the Senator for her contribution. If she does not mind, I will address her point about how the Seanad having more women has changed the tone and led to it being more collaborative. I acknowledge the all-party women's caucus in the Oireachtas. It is a testament to the women in this building. A great deal of good work has been done through that caucus. It is something that we called for at local level as well. We have been supporting local government and regional women's caucuses. We mentioned a buddy system earlier. A caucus is a space in which to support one another and to approach our work in a more feminist way, that is, more collaboratively.

When the Senator spoke about the permanent government, was she referring to the Civil Service?