Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I would also like to add my voice of welcome to my Oireachtas colleague, Deputy Farrell, and all the great guests. I see at least two teachers with the students from Pope John Paul II National School, Malahide. I had the great good fortune to meet Pope John Paul, now St. John Paul, who was a tremendously charismatic figure. He was a great champion of human dignity and respect for every person, however vulnerable or weak. Of course, he was influential in bringing down the Iron Curtain and ending the harsh communist Government in Russia and so on. He created a space in which people could talk about human freedom and the honour that is due to every single human person.

He would have been delighted to know there is a school named after him and that we have this wonderful bunch of students in our national Parliament today. They are the leaders of the future. They are the people who will be voting to decide who makes the laws that will organise our country and society. It is very important that we get good people into politics who think not just of themselves and what they need but of the people they love, the community in which they live and the world around them to try to make it a better place. We started a competition in recent years and, hopefully, in a few years, these students will be taking part, in which we get students to write essays about the importance of getting involved in politics. The Ceann Comhairle, who is the head of our Houses, said it is important that we get people more interested in politics. He was thinking of people like these students, the next generation of leaders. I encourage them to enjoy their day here with us. We are honoured to have them here. I encourage them to pay attention. I know they have busy lives and there is much going on between sport, friends, school and all of that, but I hope they will take time to think about how we make the rules in our country. When they see the politicians on television, they are not all bad. In fact, most of them are trying to do their best. Our guests might think about how they might be involved in the future in helping to make decisions for everybody's benefit. I extend a sincere and warm welcome to them today. We are all delighted to see them here among us.

I will resume on the amendment I tabled on this legislation.