Alison Comyn (Fianna Fail)

I join colleagues in thanking the Belgian ambassador for her many years of service and wishing her bonne chance in her new adventures.

I stand here, on the last day of term, with a sense of gratitude that I have had an opportunity to raise so many local and national issues. It is a privilege to be able to do so and we do not do it alone. Without wanting to sound like an Oscar winner, I thank the many people who are involved in enabling us to do this, from the ushers who meet us in the morning to the staff who give us our cups of tea. A cast of thousands help us to do our jobs, including my wonderful administrative assistant, Anna Brennan, who has become my right-hand woman.

There is a group of staff without whom we would not be able to pass our messages on to the great public. I refer to the Oireachtas broadcast workers. I am dismayed that as we go into the recess with security, 13 of those staff go into it with a lack of job security and will be forced to sign on or get work in other places. The Committee of Public Accounts is set to hear from them and review their situation. Perhaps the relevant Minister might write to the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission and ask that there be a pause in the tendering process until the issues are sorted out. These staff are not receiving the same fair pay and conditions as other Oireachtas staff. They carry out such a vital role that it would benefit us all if they were looked after with the same fairness.

I wish everybody a good summer recess. I assure all those watching the proceedings, who are able to do so due to the Oireachtas broadcast workers, that our work will go on during the recess. I look forward to engaging with many people during the summer. I thank everybody here for their service.