Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)

Of course the envelopes were always white, like Frank Lane himself. He joined the staff of the Oireachtas in 1960 when he was a packer and porter in the stationery office. In 1973 he became an usher in the Houses of the Oireachtas. He was promoted to senior usher and in June 2003 he became deputy head usher. As may be seen he worked his way right through the system.

Frank is the very face and demeanour of public service, which he exemplified to the full. If ever a Member found something wrong with a chair, a desk, or the light in his or her office, Frank was the man to contact and he then co-ordinated with the Office of Public Works. Members always felt there was someone they could go to, in the event, or if they needed some service or other which might not otherwise be available. He was always so friendly, nice to meet and down to earth. He was responsible for co-ordinating and making the House ready for the visits of important personages such as Chancellor Kohl, Prime Minister Blair, Presidents Reagan, Clinton and Mitterand as well as the two visits from the then President Robinson and one from President McAleese. In all of those Frank Lane was the equivalent of the head housekeeper, whose role was to ensure everything was right and done properly.

He is married to Rose and they have a daughter, Frances, who is a member of the usher staff, as well as a son, Vincent. Frank Lane previously served in the Permanent Defence Force and the Reserve Defence Forces and, in all, has spent more than 40 years in the public service. That is some length of service to the State, given his time in the Defence Forces linked to the Houses of the Oireachtas. Any Member of the House would be proud to have such a record of service. On behalf of this side of the House Members wish to pay full tribute to Mr. Lane. I cannot be sufficiently fulsome in his praise. His is one of the faces that will be missed so much, when he leaves this House. We wish him well in his retirement, along with Rose, his wife. His name is being carried on in Leinster House, which is good. I wish him well and want to thank him, personally, and on behalf of the Fianna Fáil Party for all his years of service to every Member of the Oireachtas.