Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Conor Lenihan, for his work on what is essentially a technical Bill. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the debate on this legislation is that it is one of the rare occasions when a Government comes to a Parliament to seek to limit its powers. This Bill will limit the Government's powers by ensuring that Ireland conforms with what it signed up to under the Vienna Convention in the early 1990s. This debate has given Members an opportunity to thank the Department of Foreign Affairs, its ambassadors, its chargés d'affaires and its entire staff throughout the world who represent this country so well. We are all extremely proud of what they do.