Brendan Kenneally (Fianna Fail)

I thank the Minister of State for responding so well to the various points made in this House on Committee Stage. Some people might wonder how we disposed of 39 amendments so quickly but we had a comprehensive discussion on the Bill on Committee Stage and the Minister of State has responded to all of the issues raised during the debates.

The Bill in its original format was 20 pages long, following Committee Stage it was 41 pages long and the final version, containing the amendments passed today, will be approximately 45 pages in length. The subject has been given a good airing in the Seanad. This shows that the system can work very well and we now have a very good Bill.

I thank the Minister of State and his officials, particularly Mr. Tobin, for the back-up information provided to us on Committee and Report Stages of the Bill. It is good to receive that type of information, which makes our job easier. I hope the Bill will pass speedily through the Dáil so this legislation can be enacted as soon as possible.