Martin Mansergh (Fianna Fail)

May I take the opportunity to welcome Senator White to the House? I thinkshe represented many of us in seeing thatjustice would be done. As I said to Senator Ross, we would not have to send out rescue parties forher, she would be returning in clouds oftriumph.

I welcome the Minister to the House. I am a little surprised that Article 2 should be a matter of such controversy so soon again, but no matter. I do not think we need more time. The contributions from the different sides indicate that the debate is virtually exhausted. There was a great deal of hyperbole but I am glad we have not heard too much of it in the House today.

One of the more absurd pictures conjured up was that the Minister was somehow a puppet of his malign and manipulative colleagues in Fianna Fáil, Ceaucescu's children, to coin a phrase. It is just totally out of character. I have followed the debate and I know the way the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform has been thinking in the past four or five years and it is something that has evolved out of concerns that have gradually become greater.

I do not think there is any electoral advantage in this proposal. I hope that the Opposition parties are not preparing an alibi if they do not do quite as well in the local elections as they hope — so that they can then put it down to the "so called racist referendum". The way to ensure the least opportunities for anybody to profile themselves on the subject is to hold it with elections which will take up the attention of politicians more than the referendum itself. I endorse what the Minister said about immigration policy, which must be fair, firm, just and humane. Every effort is being made to achieve that. I also support the Minister's point that we will still be at the very liberal end of the EU spectrum concerning citizenship and immigration.

Although I am not dismissing the argument concerning maternity hospitals, I do not regard it as being the decisive one.