David Norris (Independent)

First, I would like to let Members know that tomorrow I will be formally seeking permission to move the Privacy Bill which will be taken in my Private Members' time this day week. It will be an important debate in which I hope Members will take part and research areas where people's privacy has been invaded.

As somebody technically classified as elderly, I want to disassociate myself totally from remarks attributed to a spokesperson for Friends of the Elderly in the past day who said transition year was self-indulgent, should be scrapped and young people were not entitled to self-realisation or self-fulfilment. Yes, they are indeed. I have seen what transition year has done for young people. I have spoken in schools where sometimes the parents were concerned their children might just fool around or be misused on it. I recall well in Clonakilty in how transition year students isolated an effulgence of seaweed and turned a problem into a positive outcome.

It is an offence to me as a so-called elderly person that some middle-aged man should presume to tell young people that they are self-indulgent and not entitled to self-realisation and self-fulfilment. I am totally on their side as I have worked with Friends of the Elderly and Age Concern for many years. If they want to do something useful, they should ensure every service is available to people who do not use computers. There is a real discrimination that those who do not use computers are not allowed to get aeroplane tickets but they are allowed pay the new household charge, I think.

It is total madness that we are proposing to destroy an extremely significant record of genetic material contained in the heel-prick cards from infants. There are over 1 million of these cards and carry genetic information. I am all in favour of an opt-out clause but why are we destroying the entire collection? It is utter stupidity and bureaucracy gone mad. If necessary, we should pass retrospective legislation. I usually do not agree with it but in this case who knows what diseases may be prevented or cured? Other countries such as New Zealand have done this. However, we were not prepared once again and it is the fault of the law-makers that we were not.

If it is agreeable, I second my colleague, Senator O'Brien's motion on the household charge. I want the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Hogan, to attend the House to explain the blackmail. I have not received a leaflet yet. Maybe it is because I live in Dublin 1 in what he probably regards as a slum. There was a problem printing the leaflets. If they were his election leaflets, there would not have been as much of a problem printing or distributing them.