I welcome the Cathaoirleach and the Leader back after our short break. I look forward to working with the Leader during the coming session.

In the previous Seanad I spoke in favour of former Senator John Crown's Bill dealing with the issue of forced retirement on a particular day just because one had happened to pass a particular birthday. Unfortunately, that Bill did not complete its passage. I have received a number of queries from the Leader's county about the appointment of the president of Cork Institute of Technology, CIT, who I understand was reappointed by the outgoing board on a five-year contract at the age of 63 years when it knew that there was a statutory bar on him serving beyond the age of 65. Actually, I am not sure the statutory bar applies to him, as I believe it was lifted some years ago. If there is a fault in the process, will the Leader use his good offices to establish that the process was undertaken correctly and that CIT went as far as it could to find a suitable replacement for the president? This is a significant time in the lives of institutes of technology as they move towards technological university status and we do not want to see the old cronyism, for want of a better word, keeping someone in a job in which he or she should not be. I mean no disrespect to the president who, as I am sure the Leader will agree, has done a marvellous job for CIT during his term of office, but we must ensure fair processes are followed across all systems. I appreciate the Leader taking the time to listen.