During the Order of Business in the Seanad, I said: Having raised a matter on a number of occasions in the House, I am pleased the British are listening to me and taking action on the issue. I refer to the large amount of wasted food. Information alone can help to address this problem. A number of labels are used on supermarket foods and I take responsibility for my role in this area in the past...

During a Seanad debate on 'Innovation at the Heart of the Jobs Challenge', I said: I was at the meeting of the Joint Committee on Jobs, Social Protection and Education and the senior civil servants made some strong points, particularly that it was not the Government’s job to create jobs, rather it was its duty to create the environment in which jobs could be created..

During the Order of Business in the Seanad, I said: My attention was drawn to the scandal of imported diesel and the problems it is creating for many people who are in the business of selling diesel. The estimated cost to the State of the contaminated, or washed, diesel is between €100 and €200 million..

During the Order of Business in the Seanad, I said: It is interesting to find that this is the day the Leas-Chathaoirleach cannot ask if we are calling on the Leader to arrange a debate on an issue because the Houses are taking a break for a few weeks. I would like to give Members some homework to do...