Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)

I thank the Acting Chairman for his indulgence. I have been a Member for 21 years, having been elected to the Dáil five times. Few of us have the great honour and privilege of attending the Chamber and I thank the people of County Waterford for bestowing that honour upon me.

There have been outstanding Deputies during my time in the Dáil. The majority of Members are motivated by patriotism. Good, decent people, they are motivated by and pursue the public service ethos. However, I leave the House with some concern regarding the standing of politicians and the noble profession of politics in the public eye. For the incoming Dáil, my party has developed proposals on a major reform of governance, the way in which Oireachtas affairs are conducted and the manner in which the Civil Service does its business.

I have the utmost respect for all of the House staff I have encountered. In particular, I remember their kindness during the 18 months or so I was on crutches. People could not do enough to help. The professionalism, dedication and hard work of staff in the Dáil and the two Departments where I was Minister of State, those being, the Departments of Health and Agriculture, should be mentioned by Deputies.

While the public and civil services get a lot of undeserved criticism in the media, there are major issues with the country's governance, how Members do their business and how the Civil Service works. The next Dáil must be a Dáil of renewal. In my time in the House, people on all sides have desired reform. They realise that what we do is not fit for purpose, our methods are antiquated and so on. The moment in which these matters can be addressed should be grabbed now if the Dáil is to provide taxpayers and citizens with a better service.

I leave the House with great hope and look forward to seeing matters progress in a way that restores the country to a position of prosperity, job creation and all that goes with them.

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