I will leave it at that.

I am very much aware this is the last day of the sitting of this House for 2012 and there are a number of matters I wanted to bring to the attention of the House with regard to positive measures the House has engaged in in the past 12 months. I particularly sought measures that had achieved, in the main, all-party support. First, I want to mention the Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011. I genuinely believe that measure will not only change the political landscape but will change the political landscape with regard to the participation of women in Irish politics. I also want to mention the Personal Insolvency Bill. I know the Opposition has questioned aspects of that Bill, as have members of the Government, and sought changes, which in the main were listened to and ceded to. The personal insolvency legislation will be a leading measure in dealing with the level of personal debt and insolvency in this country in future years. With regard to children, it is noteworthy that, in the main, all of the measures relating to children that have come before this House have received all-party support in the past 12 months. In particular, there was general consensus around the children's referendum, legislation relating to vetting and legislation relating to the withholding of information.

We are going to have a busy day if we are dealing with all of that legislation.

I look forward to the year ahead. While there are challenges facing the country and the Government, this country goes into the Presidency of the European Union with a clear agenda, which is to deal with the bank debt and deal with unemployment. The Government has made its position clear. As the Leader of the Labour Party, the Tánaiste, Deputy Eamon Gilmore said, "Tús maith, leath na hoibre" - our priorities are going to be stability, jobs and growth. I look forward in the next six months to a very active Irish Presidency of the European Union that I am confident before March will have secured for this country a deal on the banking debt.

Like the Leader, I also thank colleagues. Our exchanges have been robust but, in the main, professional. I thank some of the people the Leader forgot to mention. First, I thank our own staff, the staff who support the Members of this House. I also mention the library staff who provide an excellent resource. On behalf of the Labour Seanad group, I wish all of our colleagues, the members of the Seanad staff in particular, a very happy Christmas and a prosperous new year. I look forward to more robust engagements with the Opposition in the new year.

I echo the statements of the Leader and the other speakers. I thank the Cathaoirleach and the Leader for their unfailing courtesy at all times. There may be problems in other debating chambers near here but they do not occur in this Chamber, which is a tribute to them both. I agree with everything Senator Hayden said about all of our staff.

It was a momentous year, with a Nobel prize winner addressing the House and the Orange Order being here. Those are momentous events which have not yet made the impression they should have on the outside world.

If we keep at it, the media will form a better view of what we do here. The Seanad must convince the public, as it has convinced me, that it does useful work in terms of scrutiny, checks and balances on how the country is run. The year 2011 is in the past. There are lawyers, which is a conservative profession, involved in the New Beginnings group. Let us hope that when this House returns in the new year we will have new beginnings and will finally stop fighting last year's election. There are huge problems facing this country. We must move forward.

One of the headlines on the front of today's edition of the Irish Independent is, "TDs sneak through own budget with just 2.5pc cut". In a debate about ten days ago with the Minister of State, Deputy White, we heard that the cost of running Leinster House had been reduced by more than €60 million. I ask the Leader to draw the attention of the wider public to this. Let us have debate informed by the facts. We are doing a good job but can do better. It is regrettable that the €60 million saving announced during that debate with the Minister of State was not reported in the media.