I welcome the good news that the Cabinet has today given approval to a pension settlement for former Waterford Crystal workers. It is very positive after a long battle for the former workers in Waterford Crystal. I have a particular family interest in it, but the Unite trade union and Deputy Ciara Conway in Waterford, in particular, have been working very hard with the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Joan Burton, and her office to ensure there is a settlement - it is a timely settlement at last - in the run-up to Christmas. It was a long campaign. I was, apart from the family involvement, also peripherally involved in some of the work done by Unite on it and pay tribute to it and Deputy Ciara Conway.

I also welcome the outcome of the forum on homelessness on Thursday afternoon. We have not had an opportunity in the House to comment on it since. We had a good debate on homelessness last week, but we might seek a debate in the new year on progress made in achieving the commitments made on Thursday - very welcome commitments by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Alan Kelly, and those stakeholders involved in the forum - to ensure there would be beds available for people sleeping rough and that there would be a serious commitment to tackling this problem, particularly in the Dublin area. As part of this, I welcome the resolution of the issue with Fr. Scully House on Gardiner Street, with which Deputy Joe Costello was very involved. It will allow 99 units of accommodation for homeless persons to be made available. We might seek a debate on the issue in the new year.

I welcome the announcement on Friday that Labour Women, the women's section of the party, has established a commission on a repeal of the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution. The commission is tasked with examining the best legal and political strategies to accomplish repeal of Article 43.3 of the Constitution and the introduction of legislation providing for the circumstances in which abortion may legally take place. It is very welcome to see this commission being established. It will be under the very distinguished chairpersonship of Dr. Mary Henry, a former Senator in this House and a medical doctor. I will be rapporteur and we will have an independent panel of legal and medical experts who will assist us in our work. I ask the Leader, when the commission reports to the party in the spring of next year and once the report is made public, to arrange a debate in this House on it.