Ivana Bacik (Independent)

I add my voice to that of Senator Darragh O'Brien in offering condolences to the family of the late Deputy Brian Lenihan. We were all immensely shocked by his untimely death on Friday. Every Member of the House will wish to offer condolences to his family - his wife, Patricia, and his children, Claire and Tom. Those of us who were Members of the previous Seanad will recall the night of the long debate on the bank guarantee scheme in September 2008 and the great courtesy and competence Brian Lenihan, then Minister for Finance, brought to the debate. He maintained that courtesy and a level of collegiality, even when dealing with those of us who did not agree with him, through a very long debate. I should mention that I knew him as a colleague at the Bar and at Trinity College. He was a former student of Trinity. I am grateful to the Leader for indicating that he will allow us to pay longer tributes tomorrow, which is important. On behalf of the Labour Party, I convey our condolences to his family.

I would like to ask the Leader for a debate in November on the report of the Smithwick tribunal. All of us noted the opening speech of the tribunal last week, following the debate in this House on the Minister for Justice and Equality's motion to place a certain timeframe on the work of the tribunal. It would be useful for us to revisit the issue of the Smithwick tribunal and to revisit some of that debate when the report is published in November of this year. I ask the Leader to make time for such a debate, which would be of great significance, in November. During Senator McAleese's excellent maiden speech in this House on Thursday, he suggested that the Seanad could be used as a pivotal place for such debates. Regardless of the findings of the Smithwick tribunal, the issues it is investigating are of such importance that they deserve a full debate in this House.