Feargal Quinn (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I cannot let the opportunity pass to say a few words about Jimmy Walsh as well. I have been a Member of the House for 20 years so I am very experienced in terms of knowledge and I have always been impressed by his ability to be able to remember and jot down so succinctly exactly what was said, sometimes in a mumble and occasionally very loudly. One could meet him in the corridor afterwards and ask him exactly what somebody had said because he knew it and had written it down and memorised it. I was impressed when I heard so many wish him well for the future. I hope he will be well. I had not realised until yesterday how fit he is, when I heard some of the stories about his ability to both jog and run very fast. He walks for two hours every morning before coming to work here. He makes a show of the rest of us. Long may he live and have the same energy and commitment he has shown in the last 52 years. I cannot believe it is that long.

Four years ago I introduced a Bill on organ donation. Will the Leader check if that Bill could be re-introduced now? We stopped the debate with two minutes to go because the then Minister said she wished to consult about it. By the end of that year the Bill had been dropped and we have not heard anything since. That is four, if not five, years ago. It would be great if we could do something about it. It deals with the opt out system. In other words, unless one opts out it is assumed that one is willing to have one's organs donated to save lives. I believe the re-introduction of that Bill is worthy of consideration. I ask the Leader for his advice on it. Perhaps he would check with the Minister to see whether that would be the right way to proceed.

Finally, I congratulate the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources on appointing Mr. Christoph Mueller as chairman of An Post.

This is a brilliant and worthy move. Mr. Mueller is clearly a very successful business person and he obtained a vast amount of experience in the relevant area before he came to Ireland. He is an exemplary individual and the perfect man for the job. I hope he succeeds.