I thank the Cathaoirleach for affording me the privilege of saying the last word. I wish him a very happy Christmas and a good 2021. It is a pleasure to work with him in my role as Leas-Chathaoirleach. I wish our Leader and all my colleagues across the House a good Christmas. There is tremendous commitment in this Seanad. There is also great dedication and genuine ambition to do the right thing, be responsible and make a difference for people. This is very palpable. Maybe the privilege that the Cathaoirleach and I have is that we get to listen to debates in a way that allows us to absorb what is going on around the Chamber. The more I am present for debates here, the more I am impressed by the commitment of Members, the way they go about their business, and the sincerity, depth and thoughtfulness of contributions from all sides of the Chamber.

I also wish a happy Christmas and a good 2021 to our administrative staff in the Seanad Office, led by Martin and Bridget, and all the other staff there. We have an excellent administration. Without that, we would not have the kind of House we have.

I have a general remark on what I believe is a theme of the morning. I did not hear the contributions of Senators Casey and Crowe and can only imagine what they were saying. I have an arm's-length connection with a small part of the hospitality business — a very small retail outlet. Thank God, it is an arm's-length association because I know how bad circumstances are in the sector. I empathise with those affected.

Given our privileged position as leaders in the community, we should use this Chamber at every opportunity to exhort people to be sensible over the Christmas and observe the rules on social distancing and the other rules on Covid. It is very difficult. It is a terrible strain. I find I have to go back to the car for the mask, as we must all do at times. What we must do is shocking and onerous but it should and must be done. I exhort people to do it.

There is a bit of bad news coming and, as a Senator said, we need clarity on it. The big news, however, is the vaccine. The Leader, who is a former Minister, has considerable influence so she should ensure, when reporting from this House, that she conveys in any way she can our great desire to have a very efficient and quick roll-out of the vaccine to the front-line workers and elderly and then to those with special medical needs. Those are the main points. In the meantime, people should hold their discipline.

I feel privileged and honoured to have an office in this Chamber and to work with the Cathaoirleach in my role. I do not take this lightly. I genuinely admire and am occasionally in awe of the quality of personnel here and their input. I am very sincere about this. It is very clear. The Cathaoirleach would echo these comments because he hears about the quality of the personnel also.

Críochnóidh mé le cúpla focal as Gaeilge. Guím Beannachtaí na Féile ar Sheanadóirí. Guím Nollaig faoi shéan agus faoi mhaise do na Seanadóirí go léir. Le cúnamh Dé, beimid slán agus ar ais le chéile sa bhliain nua ag obair go díograiseach ar son an phobail. Sin an dualgas atá orainn agus níl aon amhras orm ach go mbeimid ar ais ag déanamh sin má táimid ábalta ar chor ar bith. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Chathaoirleach agus guím Nollaig iontach do na Seanadóirí go léir.

Well said.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Leas-Chathaoirleach agus guím Nollaig Shona dó freisin. It is pleasure working with him. I thank him for his kind words.

It has been an extraordinary year for the Leader, who, like all Senators, has done an extraordinary job under really difficult circumstances. I congratulate Senator Bacik on her good news.

If times were different, we would organise a little reception to celebrate the good news. Please God, we will be able to do so in the new year. Other Senators, including Senator Boyhan, referred to Senator Flynn. I do not know if they saw the extraordinary interview she did last night but we are truly privileged to have her in the House. Her achievement would have been unimaginable a number of years ago but she has brought new ideas and new achievements to this Chamber.

The UN human development index measures health, education and income. In a world where there is very little good news, we have seen that Ireland is ranked joint second with Switzerland on that index, one place behind Norway and ahead of the likes of France and Germany, which is an extraordinary achievement. When we joined the index more than 30 years ago, the average life expectancy was 74. It is now 82. The average number of years our people spent in education was then nine and is now 12. That kind of achievement is only possible through the work of extraordinary people in this Chamber down through the years since Independence. We are truly standing on the shoulders of giants in that regard.

Many have raised the issue of the front-line workers, whose service and sacrifices have meant that, while the pandemic has affected many, it has not been the disaster it has been in many other jurisdictions. We acknowledge them for the service they have given so far. When we are at Christmas dinner, they will be out working. We also think of those who will have empty chairs this Christmas. They are in our thoughts and prayers as well.

I thank all the ushers, the cleaners, the catering staff and everybody else who works in Leinster House. I also thank Mr. Martin Groves and Ms Bridget Doody, who do extraordinary work late into the night to get all the amendments organised and issues resolved to ensure the Seanad works as smoothly as possible. I thank Ms Carol Judge, Ms Carmel Considine, Ms Ilinca Popa, Mr Eden McLaughlin, Ms Aisling Hart and, of course, Ms Grace Coyle in my own office for their extraordinary work throughout the year. It is quite extraordinary that such a small team runs such an important part of our legislative process. I also thank Ms Orla Murray in the Leader's office, who also does extraordinary work. I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the use of the Chamber. Nothing says more about how historic this year has been than the Seanad sitting in the Dáil Chamber. We thank the Ceann Comhairle for his generosity in that regard.

Finally, I wish all Members a safe Christmas. I hope they get time to spend with their families and friends. Please God, we will see them all in the new year.