Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

On behalf of the Fine Gael group I express our sympathy to the wider Lambert family who are a well-known, well-respected Dublin family of many generations on the untimely passing of former Senator Gordon Lambert. Unlike the Leader, he never voted for me. I never knew him. From speaking with people from those times he made a worthwhile contribution to the House during the four years of his membership from 1977 to 1981. It was a great testament to the then Taoiseach, Jack Lynch, who decided to appoint him to the House at that time.

Gordon Lambert was an independently minded person. I understand he was an Independent Member in the House. He was a person who had a huge business acumen. The Leader has rightly referred to his connections with Jacob's Biscuits, which was in the heart of my Dublin South-West constituency. I understand he was one of the instigators behind the Jacobs awards, which has been significant in terms of amateur dramatics and persons with a particular interest in music and he should be remembered for that. Senator Coghlan has informed me he was the man who invented the slogan, "he put the fig in the fig roll".