I rise on this historic day to pay tribute to the outgoing Taoiseach, Deputy Enda Kenny, and to wish him the very best for the future. I also wish to pay tribute to my own Limerick colleague, the outgoing Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan. The two of them, working together, have done a fantastic job in bringing the country back from the brink and restoring our finances. I wish them and their families the very best for the future, although they are not retiring just yet. We will still be seeing them around the House but I wish them both well on what is an emotional day for them.

According to a recent Road Safety Authority report, most of the 21,000 child seats that were tested were found to be faulty, were not the right size or were not installed properly. I understand that when the authority tested 224 child seats in the Limerick area, it found that 180 of them were incorrectly fitted. This is quite a serious position. I compliment Brian Geary Car Sales in Limerick, which is holding an event next Monday at which people will be able to have their car seats tested and will be shown how to install them in a proper manner. I encourage others to organise similar events all over the country because car safety is very important.

I wish Deputy Enda Kenny a great amount of luck in the future. In his poem "Beowulf", Séamus Heaney, whom we have commemorated in this Chamber, wrote:

Behaviour that's admired

is the path to power.

I think Deputy Enda Kenny was admirable. I know we might have differed. Many people in this House and in the Lower House might have differed with him in relation to argument, but his behaviour was to be admired. As many other Senators have said, he had great energy. Einstein said that people need just two things: the imagination to believe something is possible and the energy to propel it forward. The outgoing Taoiseach had both. He also had a great sense of joy against all the mockery, cynicism, sardonic behaviour and gossip masquerading as facts around the place. When I was listening to the debate in the Dáil, I heard some people ridiculing and reducing his stewardship. I wondered whether I should buy them some mirrors to look in because what he did was for the common good. Many of the people down there have done very little for the common good, but have acted instead in their own self-interest.

Deputy Enda Kenny's contribution spanned 42 years of public service, which is some legacy. He had a belief in what he wanted to accomplish and he accomplished it well. He had huge courage against odds and against major distractions. He brought his party from its knees by rebuilding it so that it could stand up and be powerful and persuasive once more. He was sometimes more recognised off the island than on the island, which seems to be a feature of the Irish personality. I am here because of him. Many of the new Ministers who were appointed in 2015 are there because of him. They should remember that over their next term. I am very grateful to be here. I am very affirmed by him. I take this job very seriously. I am privileged to be in the Seanad. All we have left is regard and respect for ourselves, and belief and value outside cynicism, mockery and negativity.

Deputy Enda Kenny never lived in his head. We spend most of our time living in our heads. He practised what he believed and his energy never wavered. I wish him and his family well. The legacy he has left behind with force and fire is one of passion, belief, value and respect. May the Gods be with the next Taoiseach that he might leave such a legacy of respect for our nation and our people. One is no use to anybody unless one has a passion for one's work. Perhaps some of the Senators around here might listen to the contributions of other Senators, rather than operating as if they were in some kind of back office.

I would like to join in the fine tributes that have been paid to my constituency colleague, the outgoing Taoiseach, Deputy Enda Kenny. Many of the characteristics and fine qualities he has demonstrated over the years in his leadership of the country and the party have been well described. The day he was elected as Taoiseach - he was put forward and he assumed that position - was historic and inspirational for me as someone from Mayo and the west of Ireland. It was historic in the sense that the power base of politics and the media in this country, in terms of what the norm should be, has always been Dublin or some other big urban centre. The Taoiseach captured the imagination to the extent that we achieved history in that year's general election when four Fine Gael Deputies were elected in a five-seat constituency, something which had never been done before in this State. I dare say it might be a long time before it happens again.

He was inspirational in the sense that we mock and make fun of the notion of "To hell or Connacht". However, I believe there is some psychological notion that things leave and that there is emigration. The point is that even though there are so many fine people, including fine people in Dublin who are established here and who have roots in the west and in Mayo, the power does not go there. I believe he has broken that glass ceiling for those of us from the west of Ireland and allowed us to dream big and achieve. I believe he is leaving a fantastic legacy. We have had the benefit of all that positivity as well as the idea of putting the shoulder to the wheel and putting the best foot forward and so on. I remember at one point, not long after I was elected as a Deputy, we were climbing mountains, going on walks and going on cycles in the middle of winter. His energy is remarkable. I also pay tribute to the Minister, Deputy Michael Noonan.

Today, the report of the expert panel on the problem of pyrite in blocks in Mayo and Donegal was published. I am asking for the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government to be brought before the House to debate the report and for the Minister for Finance to attend subsequently. Many households are distressed and looking at their houses in ruination. Finally, I commend and acknowledge the fact that Senator Coffey was the person who established the group during his time as Minister of State at the Department.