Catherine Noone (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I also wish to pay tribute to Ms Jody Blake on her early retirement, which has to be emphasised. I also want to echo the comments on her dress sense which is something we have had a good few chats about. In fact, I think we have a dress or two in common. She is very quirky and cool and I really enjoy her from that point of view, as well as her calm and lovely manner. She has made me feel extremely welcome and has been a great help when I have been in the Chair. That was certainly the case at the beginning when I did not have a clue and I still need assistance. Ms Deirdre Lane will miss her, as we all will. The Seanad staff in general are a pleasure to work with, but we will especially miss Jody. I thank her for everything and wish her all the best.
Senator van Turnhout said she hoped Ms Blake would come back to provide advice. I hope she goes off to have a great time, enjoy life and make the best of things. I hope to see her every now and again, nonetheless.
I want to echo what others have said about the President's state visit to the United Kingdom. He has given thoughtful and eloquent speeches there and I am personally very proud of him. The results of the visit have been better than I expected and, as others have said, I hope we can build on this in terms of trade. From an EU perspective I noted the Taoiseach's comments during the week when he gently tried to encourage the UK to think in terms of staying in the EU. Many of us accept that it would be disastrous if the UK were to leave the EU. I support Senator Mullins's request for the Leader to ask the Tánaiste to attend the House to discuss how we can build on this state visit. Even though it is an EU matter, from a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade viewpoint, we should also discuss the UK's intentions vis-à-visthe EU.