Susan O'Keeffe (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I take the opportunity to add my voice of welcome and support for the wording of the children's referendum. The Minister, her officials, staff in her Department and many others have worked tirelessly to ensure that the wording is a good one and that is why we have seen such a warm and positive welcome over the past 24 hours. However, a good start is only half the battle and we all have an enormous responsibility to ensure that the campaign to bring the referendum to a positive result on 10 November is successful. It is a very important responsibility and it is quite easy, perhaps, to be a little complacent because it was done so well and everyone seems happy about it. We will have to work very hard to keep reminding people of the importance of this referendum and to ensure that the essence of the wording and what it means to our society is brought home to people. Every one of us has a responsibility to spend the next few weeks debating the issues in this House, with our constituents, on local radio and in the newspapers to try to ensure that this very important referendum is won.

I also welcome completion of the EirGrid east-west interconnector project. It is not very often that I find myself welcoming a piece of pipe under the ground. I cannot claim to understand it in all its detail but the enormity of the project and the fact that EirGrid has brought it in on time and under budget is a credit to the company and its employees. Indeed, it marks a great opportunity in terms of co-operation and collaboration with our nearest neighbour from a business perspective and hopefully it will bring some security in terms of our energy requirements in the future. I say "well done" to EirGrid.