During the Order of Business in the Seanad, I said: What an interesting Seanad session this has been. Next February, please God, I will have been a Member of the House for 19 years. I note how well the new Senators have settled in and participated in this Seanad. They have been helped no end by the Cathaoirleach and the Leader of the House, among others.

During the Second Stage Seanad debate on the Fiscal Responsibility (Statement) Bill 2011, I said: I second the motion and welcome the Minister of State. This is an interesting Bill and we should be grateful for the opportunity to have Senator Sean D. Barrett in the House. We do not often have an economist of such stature in the Seanad who is able to do what is contained in the Bill...

During the Order of Business in the Seanad, I said: I am normally reluctant to propose or second an amendment that would delay the work of the House and a Minister due to come here to speak to us, but I listened carefully to what Senator Crown had to say and he made a strong case. It is with pleasure, therefore, that I support his proposed amendment to the Order of Business to request the Taoiseach to come to the House today to debate the issue of democracy...

During the Order of Business in the Seand, I said: In March 1996 in the British House of Commons, the discovery of a link between CJD and BSE was announced — in other words, a link between mad cow disease and the human form of the disease. It devastated the beef industry in Britain to the extent that from 1996 to 2007, no beef was exported from Britain, including Northern Ireland. That did not apply to the Republic of Ireland due to very tight controls here...