I congratulate our colleague, Senator Barrett, on his performance on the "News at One". The outline he gave of the current status of the banking inquiry was extremely enlightening for listeners. I am glad he drew a parallel between the possible amendment of the report by the sub-committee and the very numerous amendments that are carried through by this House. He has helped the public to understand the work we do, which is very often unregarded, unnoticed and unremarked on in the media.

I was sad to hear of the bankruptcy of Sir Anthony O'Reilly, who is a remarkable man.

He was a great rugby player for this country. He went on to administer the Heinz corporation in America, an enormous multinational, which made him very wealthy and very famous in the United States of America, but he did not forget Ireland. He started the Ireland Fund, which has done an enormous amount of good. He also attempted to rescue Waterford Crystal, one of the iconic industries in this country. It very sad that a major figure like this, approaching the end of his days, as I and at least one of my other colleagues are, is in this position. I am sure he will be protected to a certain extent by his wife's wealth but it is still very sad to see a public figure like this brought down by financial circumstances.

I welcome Senator Máiría Cahill to the House. I was in Montenegro last week on Council of Europe business, so I was not here to congratulate her. I wish her every success. She replaces her colleague, Senator Jimmy Harte, and I know she will bring a unique experience to this House and will be a contributor to many debates. It adds to the quality of the House and is a great boost that she has been elected directly from the North, which is a great step forward. My grandparents came from Lurgan in County Armagh, so I have a connection with the North. I wish her success on both sides of the Border, whatever political life she pursues. She is certainly entitled to it. She was elected honourably and well and it was a great choice of candidate.

I concur with Senator Norris. It is good to recognise the work of a truly great Irishman in Sir Anthony O'Reilly. People are sometimes too quick to judge. While we will not go through his career today, what Senator Norris said is very true. The Ireland Fund alone has done enormous work around the country. In fact, I applied once on behalf of a project in Castlecoote in County Roscommon and I recall getting about £10,000 for a small community centre, which developed different opportunities for the area. He should certainly be recognised and this House should wish him well, whether we do that individually or collectively. I would love to meet that man, given his experiences in Ireland, his work throughout the world for Ireland and his work in taking on difficult tasks in regard to Waterford Crystal, in which he had great faith because it was an iconic brand and he felt it was worth preserving. It is a day of congratulation, although it is not a matter of congratulation to be declared bankrupt. As far as I am concerned, he still has the highest standing in Irish life and no bankruptcy will ever affect that. The work he has done for the people of Ireland will never be forgotten.

I want to add my word in regard to Tony O'Reilly. I was at school at the same time as him and played rugby against him. I have a photograph at home, of which I am very proud, of the two of us running. We, in the Newbridge Dominicans, were playing the Jesuits. We cheated. We said a novena for bad weather - nine days prayer for bad weather - and the Lord listened to us and we got the worst day ever. O'Reilly only got the ball twice, so he only scored two tries. We did not win but it was a great record.

As Senator Leyden said, we should remember the work he has done for the Ireland Fund over the years. I got to know Sir Anthony O'Reilly very well over those years and have been to the weddings of some of his sons. He is a man we should be very proud of. Despite his recent financial difficulties, when I wrote to him recently, I got a lovely note back thanking me for my note.

I would also like to raise the issue of the crime wave we are experiencing. There are steps we can take, one of which is a copy of what is being done in other countries.

We should be able to help citizens feel more connected to the Garda. A person may not be in a situation to ring 999 or whatever the number is but may want to talk to a garda about a certain issue. The 999 number is for emergencies and is only to be used when a crime is being committed or help is required immediately. We could create for citizens a telephone number that is easy to remember in order that they might share their concerns if they see something that needs to be done. According to the relevant website, "101 is the number to call when you want to contact your local police in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland - when it's less urgent than a 999 call," that is, to report crimes and other matters in respect of which an emergency response is not needed. This number can be used if there is a minor traffic collision, if people want to give the police information about crime in their areas or if someone wants to speak to an officer in general terms. This has been done in several other countries and we should consider it here because people may want to contact the Garda but may not need to call 999 and create urgency about something that is, if fact, not quite so urgent. It would be worthwhile passing this comment on to the Minister for Justice and Equality in the hope that it might be passed on to the Garda. It would cost nothing to establish the new number and calls to it would not give rise to the same urgency as that attaching to 999 calls. People could use it in order to highlight something that requires attention.