Pat Moylan (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Aylward, and congratulate him on his past and current work in the Department of Agriculture and Food. We must recognise also the efforts of the other Minister of State, Deputy Treacy, as well as those of the Minister, Deputy Joe Walsh.

The Minister and his two Ministers of State have shown leadership on many occasions. They have taken tough decisions when it was not popular to do so and when others sat on the fence waiting to see how the ball would hop before rowing in at a later stage when the correct decision had already been taken.