Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House. He has done a fantastic job. It has to be acknowledged that this Bill is an important milestone in what is another part of the Minister's brief. This legislation, which was passed by the Dáil with the full support of all parties, is an indication not only of the support the Minister has for the Bill but also his regulatory approach to radiological protection and the licensing of such an entity.The Bill is working with those changes and is updating legislation that dates back to 1991. It also ties in other legislative measures that have been passed since then. We are working with the new technologies that exist, taking into consideration older legislation and putting forward a new Bill that will be more workable for Irish industry and for the State to police. It is positive legislation and I welcome it. We must move it forward and pass it as soon as possible. Hopefully, next week we can return to it and make further progress.

These are important legislative measures, although they might not be the headline legislative measures one will read about in The Irish Timestomorrow morning. This legislation is necessary for Ireland Incorporated and Irish society to move forward and to ensure we are competitive, proactive and that we can deliver when it comes to these key issues in society.