Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle, or I should call you "a mháistir"? I wish to associate myself with your comments. On behalf of Sinn Féin, I wish to commend all of the staff in Leinster House, including the caterers, the ushers and the cleaners, who have guided us during us this term. Hopefully, we will all be back here in good health, safe and sound, for the next session in the autumn.

Over the past few days we have seen effigies of my party colleagues, Deputy McDonald and Ms Michelle O'Neill MLA, along with the Alliance Party Leader, Ms Naomi Long MLA, in addition to our national flag being burned on unionist bonfires. This is not culture; it is a hate crime. It is unacceptable. Shockingly, we have heard nothing from the Taoiseach. An effigy of the Leader of the Opposition was burned on a bonfire 90 miles up the road and there was no official reaction from the Government. It is not good enough. It is also not good enough from unionist political leaders and not good enough from the PSNI and political leaders in this State. I ask the Tánaiste to join with me in unequivocally condemning these actions.

At the outset, I want to be associated with and thank the Ceann Comhairle for his words and his good advice. We are all heading off on what is a nine-week recess. It is true of all of us that we will still be working in our Departments, Cabinet will still be meeting and constituency offices will still be open.

Most Members of the House will take two or three weeks' annual leave and will work for the rest of the recess period. Everyone, incidentally, should take their annual leave. We only live once. This is not a dress rehearsal. It is right that Members continue to work throughout the recess but it is also entirely appropriate that they should take their annual leave and spend that time with their families and certainly not feel bad about that in any way.

We also join with the Ceann Comhairle in thanking the staff here in Leinster House and all of our colleagues, including members of the media, for all of their work over the past seven months. I believe I heard the Chief Whip say yesterday that 100 Bills have passed through this House since the Government was formed.

In almost 100 minutes.

I am pretty sure that that is an all-time record but I know that does not happen just because of what we do here. It involves everybody else as well: the ushers, the Bills Office, and everyone working in this precinct. I express my appreciation on behalf of the Government for that.

Hear, hear.

On the matter raised by Deputy Doherty, I spoke on Newstalk yesterday and I am happy to repeat what I said then. It is not often the Deputy and I agree 100% but on this occasion I do agree 100% with him. What we saw happen in Northern Ireland with effigies and posters of politicians, including Michelle O'Neill, Naomi Long and others, mainly female politicians but not always, being burned is unacceptable. We also saw the Tricolour and the Palestinian flag, you name it, being burned on bonfires in Northern Ireland. I respect orange culture and I attended a twelfth parade in Enniskillen some years ago with Peter Robinson and Arlene Foster. It was a very well organised and respectful event. It is right that people should celebrate their culture, including orange culture, but burning images of other people and other countries’ flags is not culture. That is hatred and it is absolutely wrong and, on behalf of the Government, I completely condemn it.