Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)

I congratulate Senator Burke on his elevation to this important constitutional position. He has always struck me as a man with a cool head. He will do an excellent job as Cathaoirleach because sometimes in the heat of battle, coolness is required. I wish him every success and good luck.

I also congratulate the new Leader of the House, Senator Cummins; his deputy, Senator Bacik, who has roots close to my home in west Cork; the Government Chief Whip, Senator Coghlan, a dear Killarney man and an old friend of mine; Senator Darragh O'Brien, the new leader of the Fianna Fáil group; Senator Wilson, the Fianna Fáil Whip; and his able assistant, Senator O'Sullivan.

I have always advocated reform of the Seanad. I have served in both Houses of the Oireachtas over the past 17 years but during the previous two Seanaid, we failed to grasp the nettle of reform and we will probably suffer because of that. We should address three areas in the context of reform. First, the House must have a European dimension. When the Seanad was reformed under the 1937 Constitution, our membership of the European Union was not even envisaged. We are members of various European institutions and not alone are they our economic masters, they are also our political masters to some extent. If the House had a European dimension, Commissioners could be invited to attend important debates every three or four months, and we should do this.

Second, thankfully, the Good Friday Agreement has been ratified on all sides but the Seanad needs to embrace more Northern Irish politicians, irrespective of their background. For example, if it is possible, the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister should be invited to address the House in rotation. If we are seriously thinking about a united Ireland down the line, which is my dream, we should use the House to bolster that important notion.

Third, I am the youngest in a family of 11, eight of whom emigrated. I emigrated for a time many years ago but I would like a reformed Seanad to include our diaspora. I am delighted President Obama visited Ireland. Five of my sisters emigrated to the United States and four are still there. There are approximately 40 million Irish Americans, yet when members of our families emigrate, we seem to forget about them politically. That is fundamentally wrong and there should be a voice in the House for our diaspora. I hope the Leader will take that on board and we have a debate another day. I congratulate the Cathaoirleach and wish him the best.