Joanna Tuffy (Labour)

I thank everybody for their kind comments about the Labour Party and its leader Deputy Rabbitte. In addition to raising the issue with the Minister and the Leader of the House, Deputy Rabbitte also impressed on me and colleagues in the Seanad the importance of the legislation and the need for it to have speedy passage through the House. Deputy Rabbitte clearly felt strongly that there was an anomaly that caused hardship and that could and must be addressed. Accordingly, he persuaded all sides of the House and we are now in a position to enact the necessary legislation into law.

A few people made the important point that this legislation will assist many other cases, to a number of which the Minister referred. It is a major problem and needs to be addressed in a general sense, not just with particular reference to the Nowlan family. I support the comments of Senator Brian Hayes and others on the courage of Pierce's parents and family in raising this issue.

The comprehensive legislation will be welcome but if the Minister introduced it early next year, for example, at Easter, it would involve substantial consultation and scrutiny in joint and select committees and would have amendments proposed to it. It would be a substantial item of legislation containing many sections and would, therefore, be impossible to enact for a further year. That is why it is so important to bring it in now. I thank the Minister and his staff for taking that fact on board and I thank other Members of the House, including those on the Government benches, for their support.