It is a great honour and privilege to be appointed to this position and I hope to honour the trust of Members and the Taoiseach who appointed me. I congratulate you, a Chathaoirligh, on your work during your term of office. You took office in very unusual circumstances, bearing in mind the untimely deaths of the first Cathaoirleach of this Seanad, our great colleague, the late Seán Fallon, who was also a distinguished Leader of the House and Whip and served in the House for the too short time of 14 years, and your predecessor, Liam Naughten, who made a great contribution as a Member of both the Dáil and Seanad. It is most unusual to have three Cathaoirligh in the lifetime of a Seanad and could never have been envisaged at the start. The passing of the late Senator Gordon Wilson, who made a magnificent contribution, also left its mark.
On the changeover of Government, it is only right for the House to congratulate and wish luck to the new Taoiseach, Deputy Bertie Ahern, a young man who entered politics in 1977. He served well and made his mark in the Department of Labour and as Minister for Finance. He is now in his mid-forties and is one of the youngest Taoisigh ever. On behalf of all the Members I wish him well and congratulate him on his magnificent win.
Deputy Harney, the first lady Tánaiste, has also made her mark on history. I wish her well on behalf of the House. I have known Deputy Harney since 1977, as have many Members, when she was nominated to the Seanad by the then Taoiseach, Jack Lynch. I know she will uphold the office with great dignity and respect and will make her mark.
It is right and fitting for the House to acknowledge the contribution of Deputy John Bruton as Taoiseach. He is my next door neighbour and we served in the same constituency for over 12 and a half years at one stage. He works very hard and has made an enormous contribution to Irish life so far, and I know he will continue to do so as Leader of the Fine Gael Party.
Deputy Spring, the former Tánaiste, has made——