I welcome the Deputy Leader to the House and welcome her setting out her draft Order of Business for today. I concur with Senator Dooley on his comments about a designated policing unit in An Garda Síochána for transport. I will not elaborate much more on it because I have an amendment to that effect and look forward to Senator Dooley's support and engagement as we discuss the Private Members' business later this afternoon. It makes common sense. We have heard much talk about a designated policing unit in all quarters, but today we will have an opportunity to support it. I thank Fine Gael for giving me that opportunity to use its Private Members' business on transport today. It will be an interesting dialogue.

I thank the MEPs Frances Fitzgerald, Barry Andrews, Clare Daly and Ciarán Cuffe for their meaningful, helpful and comprehensive engagement on the European Union yesterday. I took a look back at some of the commentary on it and the recurring themes were: EU scrutiny; agriculture; just transition; social solidarity; the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, CETA; workers rights; the energy crisis; equality; social progression; the European Charter of Fundamental Rights; social cohesion; migration; EU policy, the European Green Deal; social progress; climate change; human rights; EU trade; recovery and resilience; EU care strategy, which was especially well set out by Frances Fitzgerald; and the Horizon European project.

What came out of that was what Clare Daly said in the end in that there was so much there. We need to have themed discussions. Yesterday was a good beginning, but I would like to see, with some engagement from the groups, how we can put some themes around some of those issues such as energy or the European Green Deal over the coming 12 months. It is important we discuss those and stay focused. There is a role for the Seanad in that regard.

Another recurring theme we talked about was parliamentary scrutiny. I referred to a report which dealt with identifying issues of legal and political importance to Ireland. How do we hold our Government and Ministers to account in terms of influencing Government decisions on EU issues? How do we influence EU policy makers and especially MEPs on what they will do? I cited the Bundestag yesterday and the elaborate and well-resourced unit it has to do this.

There are real key issues. It was a good day and I thank the Cathaoirleach for initiating it and the Leas-Chathaoirleach for the excellent way he conducted the business. There was an energy about it and real engagement in this House. I commend the secretariat, the Seanad Office and all the people involved. It was a positive engagement and shows when we work well, it is in everyone's interest. It was a very good day. In time, if we could develop some of those themes and have specific topics in the Seanad and debates on those issues, it would be very helpful.

I thank Senator Boyhan for his kind words. He aptly mentioned Martin Groves and his team in the secretariat. They put much of the background work into these things, for which I thank them.