Margaret Cox (Independent)

I thank everybody for their very kind words on my time in the House and, in particular, I thank the Minister for his patience. I am sure I tried him today when he would have preferred to have the legislation passed more quickly. However, the debate was useful and I accept the differences in our judgments.

I thank the Bills Office because its staff very kindly helped me late last night when I finally got my head around how I would word my amendments. It wrote them in a form acceptable to the House. I pay tribute to the staff of the Seanad and all the various Departments. Their work, which is not always acknowledged by the public, reflects the great commitment of the Civil Service and the institutions of the State whose job is to run the country successfully. I commend the staff of this institution and those from all the Departments who dealt with legislation in the House.