I thank the Minister of State for giving his time here this morning. It is much appreciated.

The Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, is very welcome to the House. Today is a landmark day for recycling in this country. The deposit return scheme for plastic bottles and cans is very welcome. It has worked in many other countries and should result in the recycling of cans and bottles in this country going from 60% or 65% up to 90% and maybe even higher, as has been achieved in the countries that have implemented this type of scheme. There are a couple of issues with the scheme I want to highlight today. I want…

I thank the Minister of State very much. I know that he is doing his best but there has to be a way around this. It is disappointing that it was not considered appropriate given the nature of the scheme. It seems somewhat illogical. We need to allow small shopkeepers, whether individually or as a number on a street coming together, to provide these machines. The figure of 18,000 machines is not enough. It has to be convenient, easy and fair. It is not fair on small shopkeepers at the moment. The multiples have the …

I join Senator O'Loughlin and the Cathaoirleach in welcoming our distinguished visitors to the Public Gallery. Today is very special. It is the first day of spring and St. Brigid's Day. It is great that it is now being recognised as a bank holiday, and so it should be. We all look forward to having Monday off, relaxing and remembering St. Brigid. I would also like to congratulate Vision Ireland, formerly known as the National Council for the Blind of Ireland, NCBI, on the official launch of the Wayfinding Centre in…

I wish to be associated with the generous comments about the former Senator and TD, John Connor. I did not know him well, but his reputation as a parliamentarian, orator and committed public representative was well known the length and breadth of the country. I offer my sympathies to his family on this very sad occasion. On Thursday, we will see the introduction of the plastic bottle Re-turn scheme. It is welcome, although a little confusing for people. There is a lack of understanding out there, although I underst…

I wish to be associated with the Cathaoirleach's introductory remarks regarding Jim McMahon, who served the Fine Gael party for 24 years and is retiring at the end of the month. I wish to put on the record my appreciation for the role he has played over many years. He has supported me and many others. The National Transport Authority, NTA, today published a report on fare determinations. It is very interesting because, unfortunately, it does not refer a huge amount to rural Ireland. There are significant discrepanc…

Well said.

I agree with and support Senator Dooley and others on having a debate on the immigration and asylum seeker issue. I would call out some of the people who speak unfounded nonsense and make unfounded comments, not just in this House but also in the Dáil, and some not too far away from Senator Dooley and myself, who are gaslighting difficult and tricky situations and gaslighting situations where we are dealing with fake information and unfounded allegations. It would be useful if we could have that in the near future.…

I will not delay the House at all. Senator Seery Kearney has eloquently articulated a lot of my viewpoints. I think this referendum is important. My only regret in many ways is that it is happening so late in the cycle of the Government. It should have happened earlier, two or three years ago had it been possible. As a matter of fact, this referendum should have happened a long time ago. We must bear in mind that the Constitution we are working from was drafted in 1937. The world we now live in, compared to the wor…

We would just write a completely new Constitution that is fair and respectful to everybody. However, the people will ultimately decide this. What better way to demonstrate democracy than to have a referendum and let people decide it. In my closing comment I will say one thing, which is let us have a respectful engagement and debate. That is what the people deserve. I sincerely hope the Minister will lead the way in articulating the case for a "Yes" vote.

The people would expect that we have a respectful debate.

The third Commencement matter is from Senator Sherlock. Before I call the Senator, I welcome students from Gorey Community School to the Seanad. Their tour is on a Monday and it is most unusual that we are sitting on a Monday, so at least they are getting to see the Seanad sitting during their visit. My colleague, Senator Malcolm Byrne, is a past pupil of Gorey Community School, so I am sure he would be delighted to hear these students are in the House.

I thank Senator Sherlock and the Minister of State. We have a special Order of Business coming up at 1 p.m. We will suspend proceedings until then.

Like others, I must say this is a sad day, but it is also a day of celebration and recognition when we get to say very nice things about our good friend. When we think of words to describe Senator Norris, and many have been mentioned, the word "courage" occurs. What he did over the years took enormous courage. He did use the media when he needed to use the media but he took it on as well. We were all delighted when he won his court cases against the media when it wronged him in 2013. Maybe we need some people of co…

I agree 100% with everything my colleague, Senator Dolan, has said, and indeed others. There is a job of communication to be done here and I hope we learn the lessons from other scenarios within Government and get the communication of this message right. There are people in homes across the country who are caring for loved ones, including elderly loved ones and children with profound disabilities and I am not talking about people with disabilities who play a significant and very valued active role in society. I am …

I thank the Minister of State. Well done to Senator Warfield for raising this extremely important issue today. I wish him and his family a very happy Christmas.

I want to commend Senator Malcolm Byrne, who has constantly raised this issue in the House. I know how important it is to the people of Gorey and Camolin. I say "Well done" on that. I wish him and his family a very happy Christmas. Our final Commencement matter is from Senator Pauline O'Reilly.

Not at all.

I thank the Senator for raising an important issue. Education is important for our country and our young people in terms of the economy and their personal development. A citizens’ assembly in that regard is most desirable. I wish the Senator and her family a happy Christmas. I thank the Minister of State for his time this morning. I know he is busy trying to get things wrapped up before Christmas.

The Seanad appreciates the Minister of State’s time and we wish him and his family a happy Christmas as well.