Don Lydon (Fianna Fail)

I congratulate the new Cathaoirleach, Senator Rory Kiely, and the new Leader. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Tom Kitt, to the House. He has experience in these fields. The speech by the Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach with responsibility for European Affairs, Deputy Roche, was very apt. The appointment of such a Minister highlights the Taoiseach's commitment to the European process.

Many Senators have outlined the benefit of voting "Yes" and the negative effects of voting "No". Why are we here today? We are planning a rerun of the referendum on the Nice treaty in the hope that the treaty will be approved. There have been many complaints about this. We have rerun referenda on abortion and divorce with no complaints, although these referenda concerned a different type of amendment.