Feargal Quinn (Independent)

What an interesting Seanad session this has been. Next February, please God, I will have been a Member of the House for 19 years. I note how well the new Senators have settled in and participated in this Seanad. They have been helped no end by the Cathaoirleach and the Leader of the House, among others. On my first visit to Leinster House in February 1993 I was shown around by a former Senator from County Kerry Mr. Tom Fitzgerald. The same evening I received a telephone call from Mr. Gordon Wilson who said he had just been appointed and would love if somebody showed him around, which I did after a period of 24 hours, which is indicative of the expertise one may acquire in the House.

Another memory of proceedings this year is the number of votes, which has kept me very fit. My office is quite a distance away from the Chamber and when I first came here 19 years ago, the university Senators were located in Kildare House. It took us a few years to be given new offices. I remember on the day I moved to my new office I met Senator David Norris who said we were in the basement. When I went to the Superintendent to get the key to my new office, I asked him if it was located in the basement. He told me it was not and I remember thinking I had got one up on Senator Norris, but then the Superintendent told me it was on the lower ground floor, next to that of the Senator.

I will mention not only the Superintendent but also the Captain of the Guard who was taken ill the other day. Our thoughts go out to him. I mention everybody else employed here. I was made welcome from the first day I arrived. Everybody else has expressed similar sentiments. We deal with the Seanad Office staff, the ushers — I know I am now in danger of leaving people out — as well as the porters and others who help us no end during the year. We can do a lot more work in such an atmosphere, to which the team and the Cathaoirleach have contributed.

As Senators Mary White and Denis O'Donovan mentioned, our thoughts go out to those who face other challenges. Today my mind is on a sector to which Senator David Cullinane referred, the retail business. I would love to think that in the new year we will pay it some attention to see if we can act on the matter. Some of the news reported in the newspapers today is not good and does not only relate to small business as some very big businesses are also affected. We should ensure we help in some way.

This morning I gave an interview on Radio Kerry. I listened to the commercial advertisements which showcased some enthusiastic and determined retailers in County Kerry who might have been located in Tralee, Killarney and Killorglin. It is clear that many people around the country are looking to act on their own and not asking the Government to do it all. There are success stories. There is a lesson for us in this, as we can prove, with professionalism, determination and enthusiasm, that this House has great ability and a great success rate. We should, therefore, ensure we win the battle in the next year not by begging or looking for favours but through our own work. We must be able to earn own survival because we are worth it.