Susan O'Keeffe (Labour) | Oireachtas source

Nobody in this Chamber or anywhere else is in doubt about the seriousness of the circumstances in which we find ourselves. Last night we were glad to sit because we had to. Sometimes emergency legislation is required and last night was one of those occasions. For Senator Mary White to compare last night to the fateful night in 2008 is irresponsible, inaccurate and wholly laughable. As she and her colleagues know, large problems were inherited from the previous Administration. The Government is on an ongoing mission to restore Irish sovereignty and sort out the problems with the banks. Lately, we have been accused of mentioning the promissory note problem too often by those who said three months ago that we did not mention it enough. As with many others, I am hopeful the head of the European Central Bank, Mr. Draghi, will make an announcement this afternoon on a favourable deal for Ireland. However, if that deal does not emerge today, I will not lose my patience because I know that these deals are intricate, complex and require much thought and consideration if they are to be got right. If there were no such deliberation, we would complain. If there is no deal today, I will be confident thatonel will be struck in the middle of next week. The Taoiseach is in Brussels today with the Heads of State negotiating the new EU budget. He is trying to reach agreement on a budget of nearly ¤1 trillion. He hopes the deal will be struck by the weekend. One will agree, therefore, that there is quite a lot of pressure on the system.

As a Member of the Seanad, I was very proud to have been present yesterday at the launch of the public consultation committee's report on cancer. The report is the result of the public hearings we commenced last year on what the Government could do to draw attention to the fact that 30% of common cancers are now preventable and that there is evidence to show this. I was delighted to welcome yesterday representatives of the National Cancer Control Programme, the Irish Cancer Society and many other organisations which took part in the consultation process. They welcomed the short but accurate and complete report that we had presented. We will be giving it to the Minister and I look forward to his being present to debate it. It was a good day for the Seanad.

I wish Ireland the best of luck on Sunday.