James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)

That is fantastic. I would have loved to have met him. He is sort of an icon. What was really fascinating about him was his battle on the council in Sheffield in the seventies and eighties. When he got to be Home Secretary he had a certain level of support. It was even more remarkable that he was able to cut through the feuding and challenges we all have coming through local government. He is a remarkable man and has a remarkable story. I always think of people like him when I am making these assessments. I was very pleased to be able to allocate additional moneys into those funds. Of course, there was an additional €1 million for mental health in the budget as well.

To reiterate and as was said, education has the potential to be transformative. My vision is of an economic driver and an equal enabler to enable equality of access and opportunity and, through that, drive the economy. I thank Senators for the opportunity for the debate and for staying for it. It is useful to have the interaction. I know they do it in here, but I ask them to please continue to approach me with ideas, thoughts, suggestions and critiques when they need to. My door is always open.