Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister to the House. In 1999 I was honoured by the people of the Cavan electoral area in my native county of Cavan to have been elected to serve them on Cavan County Council. Having failed by a narrow margin in 1991 I worked hard for the following eight years and used as a model the way Senator Brian Hayes, the leader of the Fine Gael group in the Seanad, campaigned to get elected to the other House.

I would like to remain a member of the council and to continue to serve the people of the Cavan electoral area, the village of Ballinagh and the townland of Blenacup. These are placenames that have never been heard before in the Seanad but I am not ashamed to mention them. However, we must face reality. The Bill will pass through both Houses and will be enacted.