Catherine Noone (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We are not talking; we are doing business. They are devices for working on.

Senator Lombard raised the issue of the recount. He makes an excellent point, namely, that there are 750,000 ballots that are two feet long that must be recounted over the coming hours. It is a significant resource issue so it is certainly something we should revisit as an issue for debate.

I congratulate Senator Byrne who led the campaign regarding the plebiscite in Limerick. The fact that it got so many leaders in the community who were not political really helped the campaign down there. It will be really interesting to see how Limerick develops as a result of passing this plebiscite. Hopefully, it will be very positive for it and other cities will see the benefit in following its lead. There was a certain cynicism in the vote in the sense that the main thing that was highlighted was the cost and wage the mayor might get but there was a lot more to it. That was a simplistic view of it.

Senator Murnane O'Connor raised the issue of carers, a very important issue she raises regularly that is linked to the issue raised by Senator Ardagh earlier. We have an ageing population and it is something of which we should always be mindful. Certainly carers are deserving of resources because they save the State a lot of money so Senator Murnane O'Connor raises a very important issue.

Senator Mulherin raised the issue of home loans being provided and the need to alter the way Rebuilding Ireland works. There is a certain injustice for the couple referred to by the Senator. They are trying to make a fresh start but are meeting brick walls. I suggest that the Senator might raise it as a Commencement matter to get a more direct answer from the Department.

I agree with Senator McDowell's comments on the Phoenix Park. Sometimes, quite simply, less is more. I hear what the Senator is saying and I can see where the OPW is coming from as well. I want to have a look at the plans following the Senator's comments this morning because I have only heard a bit about them. The idea that deer roam freely in the Phoenix Park is part of its attractiveness and the fact that it is a "meadowy" wild type of place-----