Geraldine Feeney (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State once again. I suppose it is unusual to be delighted to speak to the motion and the amendment. I am smiling because when I saw Senator McCarthy come in, I was going to quote what he said on the Order of Business on 18 April but I will not embarass him. I am too fond of him to do so. I will leave it for another day.

Other speakers have talked about three groups which communicated with us over the Easter recess: the Irish Cancer Society, ASH and the Irish Heart Foundation. For the first time ever I have seen forceful communication from each of them asking us to support the Minister for Health and Children in the proposed legislation to ban smoking in public places. If all three are writing to us, there must be something terribly wrong. This is the most important health initiative to come our way in a long time. As one of the groups pointed out, we, as legislators, have a responsibility to legislate and to do so in the right way on this issue, on which we should be leading.