David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Yesterday was a bitter-sweet day for job creation in the State, including Waterford, my home city and that of the Leader. It was a good day in that Genzyme announced a welcome and significant capital investment in its Waterford plant, cementing hundreds of jobs in the city and south east. However, it was a bad day in that a large number of job losses were announced in B&Q stores across the State, including Waterford, and we also heard confirmation that 300 jobs will be lost in HMV stores.

A number of calls have been made for a debate on job creation.

It would be of value to this House to have a debate on the retail sector, a debate I have called for a number of times. The evidence indicates that the retail sector in this State is struggling. This is evidenced from the job losses not alone in Waterford but across the State, the number of shops closing and the many empty premises in the high streets in the cities. Many rural shops are also closing because of the austerity policies being pursued. The retail sector has not been given the attention or focus it deserves in terms of the Government's jobs action plan. I again ask for a debate on the retail sector.

I support all of the points made by Senator Norris in regard to how gay people in this State have been treated by the State and the church. As someone who fully supports gay marriage, I believe a debate on the issue would be a useful debate for this House to have.