It is great to see Senator Ahearn in the Chair today. I hope he will be in that chair in the next Seanad as well.

I will start by thanking Martin Groves and all the staff in the Seanad office and all the staff in the Oireachtas, in the Bills Office and research office, the ushers and all those who look after us daily in the restaurant and in these Houses in general. I also thank my colleagues, our leader, Senator Boyhan, Senators McDowell, Craughwell and Clonan, my staff here, Gráinne, Sarah and Robert, and Caroline and Vani in my office in Duleek. It is a massive privilege to be elected to these Houses. I thank my colleagues and nominators in local government for giving me this enormous opportunity.

As we look ahead towards another election, I trust the electorate will make the right decisions on 29 November. They listened to a few of us in March of this year when a few Independent Senators guided and empowered the electorate to know the truth about the questions laid before them. I ask them to trust us again. I fear what another Dáil term would be like with the existing three-party coalition. It has never been more important to vote and the stakes could not be higher than they are in this election.

During this Government's term, we have failed in many ways, including the Covid-19 pandemic, when we allowed our elderly to die alone. We failed to secure our borders and this has resulted in almost 350,000 additional people in our country seeking Ukrainian protection, international protection, work permits and short-term or long-term educational visas. Where did the Government think it would house them? Let us not talk about the 5,000 more people who are homeless under this Government. Our hospitals are at capacity. We educate our best and we cannot keep them here. We have failed the most vulnerable, our children with scoliosis and children with disabilities. We have failed to keep people safe in our communities and in our businesses. We have failed to recruit enough gardaí or to provide a prison service to ensure crime does not pay. We are working harder and spending more just to live. Work-life balance rarely exists for many.

However, the Irish are resilient. We proved that after the Celtic Tiger crash. We withstand a lot and this Government has let us all down. Look at our children in the Public Gallery today. They are whom we need to be looking at. They are our future. We can do better and deliver a better Ireland. We ask people to vote for pragmatic, courageous Independent candidates with a proven track record in local government. Independents can shake it up; we have proved that in this House. I ask the electorate to vote Independent this time.

I join my colleague Senator Flynn, who mentioned everyone who works in these Houses, the many people who make what we do possible and support it, in thanking all of them. I also thank my staff, Ciara, Georgia, Robbie and Sebastian and the wonderful Saran Fogarty, who recently moved on to new exciting jobs but who was a great partner in the work in the past few years. I thank my colleagues in the Civil Engagement Group. It has been extraordinary to work with Senators Black, Ruane and Flynn and see the passion, insight, brilliance and imagination they bring to their work. I learn from them all the time. I thank the wider pool of colleagues, that is all of us in the House and those who have engaged with me, against me and alongside me on issues that are important. There have been many examples of the importance of what the Seanad can do. I think back to the early days of the Seanad to the important message sent about the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, TRIPs, waiver, which was a motion that sent a clear signal on human rights from the Seanad.

Having thanked everyone, I raise one last issue. It is on the Order Paper, to which it was added in recent days. I hope to have the opportunity to address it further in the next Seanad. It is important at a time when democracy and multilateralism seem fragile. It is important we assert the importance of democracy and of widening it, the importance of rights and equality for all and of the universal application of international law, including international human rights law, to all people, without distinction. There is a people who have been neglected in that respect. They are the people of Western Sahara. My motion, as added to the Order Paper today, notes the fact that it is one of the longest-running conflicts in the world. Since 1991, the people of Western Sahara have been waiting for a promised referendum on self-determination, which is one of the core rights under the United Nations. Regrettably, it seems to be moving further away as economic exploitation continues. I note the International Court of Justice and the European courts have affirmed again that right to self-determination. I urge Ireland, as we begin to take first, though still inadequate, steps of action on the occupied Palestinian territories, to look at what actions we can take on the illegal exploitation of resources and occupation of Western Sahara, such as diplomatic engagement with the representatives of the Sahrawi people and measures to ensure we are not complicit in the exploitation of resources without compliance with international law. I wanted to signal this as these are a people who can sometimes be forgotten. They have been spoken about a little in recent weeks. I thank the Acting Chairperson for his leniency. In putting that motion forward, I hope to pursue it further.

I wish the best of luck to all those going forward and all those entering their next chapter.

Well said.

The Senator's number one supporter is behind her in the Public Gallery, smiling as she speaks.