It is genuinely great to hear inspiring debate, conversation and insight from every single one of my colleagues this morning. It was a good quality debate on a whole lot of aspects, particularly relating to International Women's Day. This is not just a pet for Christmas but something for life. It is fundamentally important. As the House knows, I am involved in business and I would say that 75% of all senior management is female. This is because they have a skill set, ability and talent to achieve. I wish to speak about the team of females who work with us. Ms Bridget Doody and her team are the backbone and they help us function and achieve what we aim to achieve. I ask that we all acknowledge the team of female support in leadership roles and others in the Seanad and the Dáil and what they do to help make this place function and be effective.

I have been very involved in entrepreneurship over a number of years and have chaired the entrepreneur of the year judging panel for years. We get quite a small number of female entrepreneurs coming forward and it is reducing a little. After the recession the number of entrepreneurs coming forward is reducing anyway. This is a big issue. People are afraid or are concerned about taking a leap or risk because they do not want to lose their house and everything that they have and they know what it is like to deal with the banks.

I am asking everyone in this House to work collectively as a team. This is not political. We need to see what we can do to support entrepreneurship and to help male and, in particular, female entrepreneurs who have incredible ability to achieve in line with their talents. Unfortunately, I did not meet Nicky McFadden, but I have heard a lot about her.

She was a great woman.

From what I hear, Nicky and her sister, Senator Gabrielle McFadden, were cut from the one cloth. I congratulate Senator McFadden. I mean that. While I am speaking about entrepreneurship and job creation, I would like to say that one of the best things a person can do in life is to give somebody a job. When a person gives somebody a job, he or she gives that person a choice and an opportunity and puts money in his or her pocket to spend as he or she wishes. To me, entrepreneurship is key to a functioning economy. As Enterprise Ireland has recognised, female entrepreneurship is essential in that regard. The chief executive of Enterprise Ireland, Julie Sinnamon, has a team that is focused on female entrepreneurship and is creating incredible success, way above the European average, in supporting the development of female entrepreneurship. I ask all Senators to support this in every way possible. I would like to make a final point about something I have a huge issue with.

You have exceeded the time available to you.

I am in injury time.

You are.

We can have a penalty shoot-out.

We have plenty of time. There is no hurry.

I thank the Deputy Leader. This morning, I saw a newspaper headline, "Use bank profits to write off more debt, says EU", on an issue that has been bothering me for a while. I do not think there is anyone in this House who was not directly or indirectly hit during the recession when the banks were giving people hassle and seeking to get their pound of flesh. The banks are making huge profits now. Quite frankly, it is criminal that no tax is being paid on those profits. Will the Deputy Leader impress on the Minister for Finance the need, which is now being supported by the European Commission, for the profits being made by the banks to be put back into the economy, into entrepreneurship and into hospitals?

Hear, hear.

I do not know how many Members of this House have been to any of our hospitals over the past two or three weeks. I have been a frequent visitor for a particular reason. The doctors and nurses are amazing people.

Hear, hear.

The carers are incredible people too. One of the big issues in our hospitals is that the vast majority of people leave their lunch or breakfast on the tray because they cannot eat it. These meals are picked up again an hour afterwards without having been eaten because our hospitals do not have sufficient staff to feed people who are sick. Quite simply, this means that people go day after day without eating any food. I apologise for going so far into injury time.

Yes. I know Senator Devine will be more to the point.

I will try. The Chair will give me some leeway because it is International Women's Day. I commend and respect Senator Ned O'Sullivan for what he has said. I think his journey, which he has shared, will help this country to make its decision on the eighth amendment. I thank him for his thoughtful contribution which was devoid of spin. I would have to be forgiven if I did not talk about women on International Women's Day. It is important to talk about women given that we comprise over half, perhaps 52%, of the population of the world. I love Irish women and I love to reach out internationally to other women throughout the world who are in very difficult circumstances. I was at Richmond Barracks in Inchicore this morning with the women from Palestine. I want to repeat in this Chamber an extract from a poem, Here We Shall Stay, that was read at this morning's wonderful event:

We shall remain

a wall upon your chest,

clean dishes in your bars,

serve drinks in your restaurants,

sweep the floors of your kitchens

to snatch a bite for our children

from your blue fangs.

Here we shall stay,

sing our songs,

take to the angry streets,

fill prisons with dignity.

In Lidda, in Ramla, in the Galilee,

we shall remain,

guard the shade of the fig

and olive trees,

ferment rebellion in our children

as yeast in the dough.

Free Palestine. Go raibh maith agat.