Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Is lá stairiúil é seo agus guím gach rath ar an Taoiseach, Teachta Leo Varadkar, agus é fógartha anois aige go bhfuil sé chun éirí as oifig.I would like to be associated with all those wishing Leo Varadkar well on this very surprising day when he announced he is to retire as Taoiseach and as leader of Fine Gael. I think the history books will show that Mr. Varadkar has been a very talented man and has sought to serve his country to the best of his ability. His talents have been on display on many an occasion.

While I would disagree with him on a number of issues, I cannot ask but express today my appreciation to him as a citizen and as a Member of the Oireachtas for taking on the difficult task of going into politics, standing up for ideas he believes in and giving leadership to his party and to the country. I think particularly of the very difficult time of the pandemic and, again, not everybody was happy with Government decisions, but I think we can all acknowledge that was a very difficult time to be in leadership. I wish him well on this day.

It is not really the day to get into the reasons he has chosen to make his decision at this time. Obviously, however, I am aware of what my friend and colleague, Senator McDowell, said about the Seanad and its role. I think people will be reflecting on the role of the Seanad in the recent referendum and the contributions made by many Members of the Seanad to bring the issues that were involved to light. I take this opportunity before the Easter break to ask that we have a debate. I support everything Senator McDowell said about question of the Whip in the Seanad, but I ask for a debate on those referendum results. I raised issues about the role of NGOs and their funding and how they have operated. There are issues about the role of Government and how it manages the flow of information to the public. Therefore, I ask that we have a reflective retrospective debate on the referendums and their outcomes at the earliest opportunity.