Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I join with all the other speakers in their comments on what happened in Manchester last night. I do not think anyone here could support what happened. There are 22 people dead and I think something like 16 people under the age of 16 in hospital. They are the youth and they are our future. I pass on my sympathies to all involved.

I wish to pay tribute to one other person, namely, the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan, who has served with great distinction over the past six years. He comes from my native Limerick. He announced his retirement as Minister recently, and I wish Michael and his family all the very best for the future. Given where the economy was, he did a fantastic job bringing the country back to where it is. He has not only been very good for Limerick but for the entire country. He is well respected in Europe. He is in Brussels at the moment. I saw on social media earlier that finance Ministers were paying their own tributes to him. He has served this country in a manner in which we can be very proud of him.