Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. It is probably the most technical legislation I have seen in here in my time in the House. I acknowledge the briefing that was done in advance by the Minister of State's officials, Andrew Doyle and Oliver Gilvarry, who were very helpful in meeting me, and I am sure others, in advance of this legislation being brought in. If we wanted to really simplify it, we would say that the UK is leaving the EU and the Irish Stock Exchange, now called Euronext Dublin, was using the UK. It will not be able to do that in the longer term because the UK will not be in the EU so it is moving to Belgium. There is a lot of legislation required to make sure that all works well. It is right and proper that this House and the other House, which has already dealt with it, make sure we are facilitating smooth commerce and transactions in terms of the stock exchange requirements. We are facilitating them through this legislation. It is important legislation. It is not the kind of thing we might put on the front of a leaflet, but at the same time it is most important that we have a working stock exchange that can do its business for the benefit of everybody in this country and ultimately for all those companies involved with the Stock Exchange. I thank the Minister of State and his staff for a comprehensive statement. There is no point in me repeating all that he has just given us. I commend the Bill to the House.