The Order of Business is No.1, Health (Alteration of Criteria for Eligibility) Bill 2013 - Second Stage, to be taken at 2 p.m. and conclude not later than 4 p.m., with the contributions of group spokespersons not to exceed ten minutes and those of all other Senators not to exceed six minutes and the Minister to be called upon to reply not later than 3.50 p.m.; No. 29, motion No. 10 re philanthropy and fund-raising, to be taken at 4 p.m. and conclude not later than 6 p.m; and No. 2, Courts Bill 2013 - Order for Second Stage and Second Stage, to be taken at 6 p.m. and adjourn not later than 8 p.m., with the contributions of group spokespersons not to exceed ten minutes and those of all other Senators not to exceed six minutes.

That is the Order of Business for today but it would be remiss of the House if we did not acknowledge the fact that Jimmy Walsh of The Irish Times, the reporter who has covered this House so well for many years, is retiring tomorrow. In his fledgling days, Jimmy was one of the reporters who covered the visit of President Kennedy to Ireland. He joined the press corps in the Houses of the Oireachtas more than 40 years ago, initially covering proceedings in the Dáil and then covering Seanad proceedings for more than 20 years.

Jimmy is the old style reporter, with his notebook, pen, typewriter and shorthand. I believe his shorthand is excellent. I was always amazed by his retention and memory for details that happened many years ago. He has covered this House with distinction and we owe him a debt of gratitude for his honest and accurate reporting of events in it. He will be missed by all of us.

Whether the newspaper will replace Jimmy, I do not know, but it is only right and proper that we acknowledge the work he has done in covering events here. I hope when he retires tomorrow that he will not cut all ties with the House and that he will come back and visit at regular intervals. As he was presented with a pass for the Houses up to 2016 by the Ceann Comhairle yesterday, there is no reason he would not be in a position to visit at regular intervals and we look forward to his company during that time. I express our gratitude and thanks to Jimmy for his coverage, work and the friendships he has built up over many years in the House.

Hear, hear.

I was going to acknowledge formally the presence of the mighty Jimmy in the Press Gallery on this special occasion but the round of applause beat me to it.

Before normal hostilities resume, our group would also like to acknowledge the true greatness of our friend and the great friend of the House, Jimmy Walsh. In my 11 years here, my experience, which would reflect that of us all, has been that he has been an innately decent man who has been a great friend to the Seanad, the only one it has had. From a journalistic perspective, that is a simple fact that is widely acknowledged. The House has been very lucky to have the expertise of Jimmy Walsh and the honesty and professionalism he has always shown in reporting.

On a personal level, Jimmy is the true definition of the honourable profession and traditions of journalism in reporting the facts as they should be reported, rather than as so often happens with so-called modern journalists who like to put a particular complexion on one side or the other of the facts. That is foreign to Jimmy and it is something younger or so-called more modern journalism could look to as an example and learn a little how well the business was done over the years. He will be missed and I invite the Leader to see if the Taoiseach would take the opportunity, with one of the Taoiseach's 11 nominee places vacant, to make Jimmy a Member of the House. God knows, he has the experience to make a very valuable contribution, having reported the House so well over the years.

As far as Fianna Fáil is concerned, Jimmy Walsh is all graces and no airs. We hope he enjoys his retirement and will be a regular visitor to the House.

Will I continue with the points I want to raise now?

We will continue with the Order of Business. I remind the House that last week a number of Senators spoke glowingly about Jimmy Walsh and I do not want a repeat. Those who have not mentioned him, particularly the leaders of the groups, will have some latitude.