I do not think I would ever exclude the Senator. We know each other a long time.

The Senator's vocation is almost complete.

Senator Higgins, I rarely interrupt you but I have to go to an urgent commission meeting for five minutes. People are waiting for me. I will ask the very reliable Leas-Chathaoirleach to take over. I hope to be back in the Chamber to say goodbye in a few minutes.

The next speaker on my list, and the Leas-Chathaoirleach might have amended it, is Senator Lynn Ruane.

As long as I was not the Senator's sugar daddy.

There are six speakers left, including me. Nobody will be left out. Next on the hit list is Seanadóir Ó Céidigh.

I will next call Senator McDowell. I am not curbing any debate but I hope he will not spend an hour on one syllable or one word.

Especially those on Senator Wilson's panel.

I call a former Cathaoirleach and a good friend of mine of many years, Senator Paddy Burke. We are coming to a close now.

The penultimate speaker is the Leas-Chathaoirleach, whom I have the great honour and privilege to call to address the House.

I do not think I have excluded anyone. I have really enjoyed my tenure as Cathaoirleach of the Twenty-fifth Seanad. I thank all the Senators for their co-operation, in particular the Leas-Chathaoirleach. Not alone has he been an exemplary Leas-Chathaoirleach, but before he became Leas-Chathaoirleach he respected me as a close friend and was somebody in whom I could confide. His integrity, demeanour and dedication to this House is second to none. I hope we will see him back here. He was very loyal to me. When I was …

I also thank our Clerk, Mr. Martin Groves, and Ms Bridget Doody, who are, as we would say in rowing parlance, the stroke oar. They decide how the race is run. I thank Ms Popa and Ms Judge in the office and Ms Hart, who is my personal secretary and who has been extremely patient with me and understanding of me. Over the past four years I think she has got to know certain aspects of me that I hope she will not reveal to anyone. In his absence, I pay compliment to Senator Buttimer, the Leader of the House. He has been…

I must now ask a question of the Acting Leader, Senator John O'Mahony. I should say that I regret that some of our colleagues are not running. I call John a half-west Cork man because his people came from there. Senator, I am sorry that you are not running again. You are a loss to the Seanad, but I wish you well on a personal basis. When is it proposed to sit again?