Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)

I join other Members in congratulating the Taoiseach and wishing him well. As a constituency colleague of the new Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Deputy Smith, I congratulate him on his appointment to that office. He is highly respected in the county and it is a great honour for him and his family. I wish him well in dealing with the Mandelson proposals which represent the most pertinent issue for the farming community, an issue that must engage the energies of the Minister, the Oireachtas and the entire apparatus of State. I intend to take full advantage of the Minister's inevitable absences from the constituency.