John Crown (Independent)

On a serious note, I congratulate the Cathaoirleach, the newly elected Leader, the Taoiseach's nominees and all of my new fellow Senators. It is very nice to be elected to an organisation where for a change I am not one of the older people - I think I am correct in that regard; I refer to my university colleagues - and to be referred to as a freshman Senator.

On this sad day when 46 nurses and doctors are in prison in Bahrain, some of them under sentences of death, for doing nothing other than honouring their duty to patients who were brought into their casualty department with wounds, I will conclude by saying that the work of this Seanad will be important. It is not in the gift of any person in this Chamber to decide whether this will or will not be the last Seanad. It is within all our gifts, however, to decide if it will be the best Seanad. SPQH, Senatus populusque Hibernia. I thank Members for their attention.