This is not the last sitting of Seanad Éireann. The Seanad will sit until 26 April. The new Government that will come in on 10 March might require urgent legislation which we will be required to address. This is a pre-emptive strike as far as this Seanad is concerned. The Seanad is alive and well and functioning.

Because I might not get an opportunity to say it when we return I wish to speak about Senator Feargal Quinn. He and I crossed paths when he was chairman of An Post in 1982. As far as I recall, he was appointed by the Jack Lynch Government and I was Minister of State at the Department of Posts and Telegraphs. We worked together in that capacity. As chief executive of the wonderful Superquinn supermarket group he was also involved in the area of trade and marketing when I was Minister for Trade and Marketing and we had many Irish promotions. He assisted many Irish companies to get established. He has played a very important role. I wish him well not on his retirement, because he is very active in life, generally speaking, but I wish him well in the future.

I also wish the Taoiseach's nominees well. They are the most enlightened appointments of any Taoiseach since the foundation of the State. The Taoiseach and the then Tánaiste, Deputy Eamon Gilmore, compiled a list of Senators in this House who have contributed greatly. They brought a vast range of experience to this House and I wish them well, both those who will contest the election and those who will not.

Is the Senator canvassing?

I certainly will not resist anyone that wishes to vote No. 1 on the Labour Panel. I must seek the nomination of the Irish Conference of Professional and Service Associations, ICPSA. As it is a matter for the association to decide on its nominees, I will not pre-empt or prejudice its decision at this stage. Nobody is a candidate until he or she is nominated. I wish you well, a Chathaoirligh.

But the Senator is available.

I am. By the way, I am seeking the nomination at this stage.

On another note, today I was in the Dáil Chamber for the dissolution of the Dáil. The Taoiseach rightly came to the House and put the dissolution before the House. He did not sneak up to the Áras and present his request to the President to dissolve the Dáil. He went into the Dáil and he informed the Dáil that he was going to the President in a proper manner. He then left for Áras an Uachtaráin and the President signed the order to dissolve the Dáil. That is the proper procedure. He and I share one thing in common, namely, that we are the only Members of the Oireachtas who were Members of the Dáil in June 1977. He voted for Liam Cosgrave and I voted for Jack Lynch and Jack won. I was rather delighted to be in the Chamber today to wish him bon voyage, as such.

Congratulations and a happy birthday to you, a Chathaoirligh. You have played a very important role and you have been a fantastic Cathaoirleach. You have been the most fair Cathaoirleach under whom I have served in this House. I commend you, the Leader of the House, the Deputy Leader and the Leader of the Opposition and everybody else. This is an excellent Seanad and will continue to be such until the new Seanad takes office.

The Garda lost its appeal in relation to sick time and sick pay in the Court of Appeal yesterday. The Garda is in a position quite separate to public servants. Gardaí are the only public servants who have to wear a knife vest on duty and they put their lives at risk every day of the week. The decision in this case is wrong and I hope it will be reversed because the Garda deserves the full support of the people. I was quite surprised that the general secretary of Impact, Shay Cody, warned that he would ballot for industrial action if the Garda was exempt from the rules of sick pay. That was very unfair. I wish the Garda Representative Association, GRA, success in any appeal it takes in that regard because gardaí put their lives at risk every day of the week. On Monday, two gardaí were struck down in an incident in Ardrahan. They were in hospital as a result of carrying out their duties. We should be very conscious of the role of An Garda Síochána. I hope this ruling will be changed and that gardaí will be given proper sick leave because they stand in the line of duty defending the public. They are an exemplary Garda force, which is unarmed. It is one of the finest police forces in the world. I hope the Garda will get justice in this particular regard.