Pat Gallagher (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Senators for their co-operation in bringing the Bill through the various Stages. I appreciate their interest. They put their amendments down in good faith and I hope they accept that the points I made in response are in the best interests of the House, particularly with regard to the derogation period. I hope I provided good and justifiable reasons for not accepting the amendments.

The urgency of having the Bill passed arises from an EU legal requirement to have the Council decision of June and September 2002 adopted by the end of February. It is also necessary to give legal effect to the changes in the European Parliament constituencies so candidates and political parties will have certainty before they get down to the serious business of campaigning for the June poll. While I had to differ on the amendments proposed by the Opposition Members, I appreciate the courteous manner in which the debate on the Bill was conducted.

I believe I speak for both Houses when I pay tribute to all our MEPs, particularly those who will not seek re-election. I thank them for their commitment to the development of Europe and to the development of Ireland's interest within the ever increasing and changing landscape of Europe. Many of these Members served in the European Parliament for a number of years and have seen many changes. However, at all times practically all Members wore the Irish jersey and worked in the best interests of Ireland. I wish all those who are not seeking re-election well in their retirement. They are relatively young and fresh so their retirement is from public life.

Those who served us well over the years were, in alphabetical order, Nuala Ahern, who served for ten years, Niall Andrews, who served for 20 years, Mary Banotti, who also served for 20 years, John Cushnahan, who served for 15 years, and Jim Fitzsimons, who spent 20 years in Europe representing the constituency of Leinster. In addition, Liam Hyland served for ten years and my constituency colleague for many years in Connacht-Ulster, Joe McCartin, served for 25 years. All of them made a remarkable commitment to and were closely associated with the development of the Union.

Two other MEPs from the island of Ireland served in Europe since the first direct elections in 1979. They are Dr. Ian Paisley and Mr. John Hume. They worked closely with the 15 Irish MEPs on the International Fund for Ireland, the European Fund for Peace and Reconciliation, INTERREG and CAP reform, which were so important for this island. I wish them well. I wish both the Members and their families continued success.