Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)

I express my appreciation to the Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Tom Kitt, for attending. He has been here since before 11 a.m. This morning we came to an agreement with the Whips to leave the time fluid between 1.30 p.m. and 2 p.m. I, therefore, expect the few minutes overtime will not be taken into account.

We appreciate that the Minister of State came here so readily and without any undue pressure. He has been in the House regularly. I listened to all of the debate in my office and was struck by the sincerity of the contributions and the firmly held views of many of those who spoke. I also reflected on what a good debating chamber the Seanad is. Yesterday's debate on the Science Foundation of Ireland was extraordinary in its depth and how well understood the issues were.

The debate on Iraq has been extensive and featured many contributions. The holding of complex debates on important issues from time to time is the rightful role of the Seanad. I pay tribute to all those who spoke from all sides of the House. The debate has been sought for some time and I have no doubt we will hear more on the issue as it unfolds. I will continue to contribute to this matter as I have done in student debates. It is not a black and white issue – one cannot say Saddam is bad and Bush is good. That is a trite reflection of the complexity of the debate. There are many viewpoints with interleaving thoughts. I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House and giving of his time so readily. He has an extraordinary depth of vision on this issue and has chosen to share it with us.

I must attend a meeting of the Committee on Procedure and Privileges. Therefore, I must leave the House but thank the Minister of State and his officials for attending today.