Dan Boyle (Green Party)

I too join in the vote of thanks to the Minister of State and his officials for steering this legislation through the House. The time necessary to debate the issues today was made available and there was no attempt by the Government side, as is the tradition in the House, to bring about any other business that would have led to a guillotine on the Bill. I accept what has been said about the sequencing of the event, but as Senator O'Donovan said, we will return to legislation on other aspects of the issue in a short period. I am confident that many of the issues that have been raised on Committee and Report Stages on this legislation will be taken into account when that Bill comes before us.

I would like to apologise to the House for the confusion caused earlier. On account of a meeting of Dáil and Seanad representatives with the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government I missed being in the House for some of the time I should have been here to address the issue of amendment No. 15 on Committee Stage and amendment No. 4 on Report Stage.