Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister back to the House. He is probably one of the most accessible of all Ministers and to be fair to him, he comes to the Seanad for debates, notwithstanding the comments made by other Senators. I thank and commend Senator Mark Daly who has championed the idea of extending the franchise in presidential elections. He has done considerable work on this issue in the United States. To be fair to the Senator, it is important that we get this issue right. While he and I may disagree on the roadmap to achieving our objectives, I give him credit for his work on the issue.

Listening to Senator McDowell, I felt as if I was in the Forum in Rome. I wonder at times whether he was in government because he should know better than most that one does not get much done around here in two weeks. That was also the case during his time in government when he was cracking the whip.