Ivana Bacik (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am happy to work with other Senators on the motion.

I congratulate Patricia King on her appointment as head of ICTU to replace David Begg in March. I welcome the decision, as she will make an excellent leader of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. As other Members did yesterday, I commend the appointment of Kevin Vickers as the new Canadian Ambassador to Ireland. He received his credentials yesterday from President Michael D. Higgins.

Finally, I look forward to the ECB announcement today on the stimulus package and on quantitative easing. There have been various reports about how much the package will cost. It seems that it will cost €1 trillion, but the bank will spend €50 billion per month on buying bonds and seeking to stimulate the European economy. That is a welcome development and I look forward to a debate here on the economy and the influence the decision will have on the ECB.