Gerard Craughwell (Independent)

The Minister is welcome to the House. I support my colleague, Senator Boyhan, in the withdrawal of our amendment No. 1.

I went to the UK as a very young man. Many of us left in the late 1960s and it is only by the grace of God that we have not finished up in a one-bed flat or bedsit with nothing to look forward to and very little to look back on. As Senator Boyhan said, some people were forced out of this country. They had to flee because of the circumstances in which they found themselves. Those are particularly sad cases. There are people in other parts of the world who we are not looking after with this Bill. However, I must hand it to the Minister. She gave a commitment on the previous occasion she was in the House on this particular section. She has delivered, and I compliment her for that. It shows a willingness on her part. It is a rare thing to see a Minister agree to amend legislation when it gets as far as the Seanad. I compliment her. It is a very positive step forward and I thank the Minister.