Regina Doherty (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank our Leas-Chathaoirleach, Senator Joe O'Reilly. He is a wonderful personality and really has added to the engagement in the past number of years. I wish him well.

Like others, I wish Martin , Bridget, all of the other clerks and all the staff in the Seanad Office. This House is run in a meticulous manner and that is down to the wisdom and commitment of the team. I thank them. Likewise, I thank Orla, who works in my office. We call Orla "the Leader's office" because that is what she is. There is nobody else but Orla. Apart from being a thoroughly beautiful human being, she is professional to her fingertips. I do not mean “professional” in the sense of working within the bubble of what one particular Department wants to do. Rather, she is a realist, and her advice and wisdom are so grounding. I thank her for all her work. She is one of the most efficient people I have ever had the privilege of working with.

As for the ushers, our cleaning and catering staff, I have been a Member of these Houses, thankfully, for 11 years, and I have always felt as though they must have been handpicked because they are so wonderful, accommodating, kind and bloody damn good at their jobs. I thank them all and wish them well.

This is the final normal Order of Business during my time as Leader of Seanad Éireann. It is a great privilege to have followed in the footsteps of people such as Maurice Manning, Gemma Hussey and, of course, my good pal, Senator Buttimer. When I was appointed on 27 June 2020, the first sitting was to be held on 29 June at the convention centre. An awful lot of the commentary from colleagues was probably was not complimentary, and rightly so. It concerned the role I had played in the 2013 referendum and, critically, it was probably justified. I very much hope that in the past two and a half years, colleagues from all sides of the House have seen not only the enormous respect I have for the Seanad as an institution and for the value of what it can and does do, but also the respect I have for individual Members and all the parties and groups, including those in opposition. I believe it is a privilege not only to be in public life but to have the opportunity to shape and interrogate legislation and make it better, which is what we are here to do, and that includes our own legislation. I hope Senators have seen that respect through my actions and deeds in recent years because I truly believe the Seanad is a far more thoughtful, and much less partisan and gimmicky, place than the Dáil can be at times, with its name calling and shape throwing. I thank them all for their co-operation.

As an example of that, my attitude to the Air Navigation and Transport Bill 2020 probably raised a few eyebrows, with Senators wondering what the hell I was at, but it took more than 13 months to go through this House. With the co-operation of both Opposition and Government colleagues, we made tremendous changes to it and it was a far better Bill when it left this House than when it had arrived here from the Dáil. That is the power and value of this House. The co-operation and collegiality mean we can work to the same outcome, regardless of our colours or creed, and that is powerful. A significant statement, which speaks for itself, is that when that Bill, which took more than 13 months for us to deliberate on here, left this House it took nine minutes to be passed in Dáil Éireann. That is the difference between Seanad Éireann and Dáil Éireann and that is why the Seanad should never again be challenged but only be improved on.

I hope I have been fair and approachable. When I came here, I was probably an argumentative auld bag, but I think that was because that was what I was used to being. I was used to arguing combatively and constantly fighting against the Opposition but there is no need for that most of the time. Ultimately, we all want the same outcome, namely, a better country, a better society and an equal and just society for all our citizens. I hope I played my little part in that regard over recent years and I thank Senators for their friendship and co-operation and for their thanks today. It is nice to be nice. I wish them, their families and all our staff a very happy and peaceful Christmas. By God, this one will definitely be meaningful.