David Norris (Independent)

I support my colleague, Senator Bacik, in her call for a debate on abortion. This is a complex and difficult issue and people on both sides have strongly held views. I raised the matter towards the end of the last Seanad in the light of a very dignified letter written by a woman who was not an extreme person. She was not even particularly liberal, as far as I know, but she wrote as an ordinary citizen in the light of the impact her anencephalic pregnancy would have on her family.

We have betrayed people by long-fingering this debate. It is significant that a senior Anglican cleric has reproached us, as legislators, for our lack of courage. This is the Chamber in which to address these kinds of issues because we have a history of dealing with complicated, divisive and emotive issues in a calm and rational way, although there are divided opinions.

I agree with Senator Alex White in requesting the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance to come into the House, not specifically to deal with the issue he raised but instead to deal with an issue that impacts on many young people in particular, that is, the sub-prime mortgage issue. People are finding themselves in a position of negative equity. During the week there were 39 cases of court action to gain possession of houses, which is very worrying.

We also ought to take a stand about radio advertisements marketing these services, where, for example, there is a positive statement about taking a mortgage, including consolidating one's credit card debts, but then not letting people know that by so doing they are moving from a position of unsecured debt into one of secured debt and they could lose their house over their credit card debt, which is intolerable. In addition, the warning at the end they are statutorily required to provide is gabbled at an ungodly rate nobody could understand and is the voice-over equivalent of the notorious small print in contracts.

I suggest the Leader find time for a debate on Windscale. New information has now come to light that the explosion in 1958 was significantly worse. We know there are clusters of Down's syndrome births, still births, etc., in the area of Dundalk and the east coast. We also know that there was significant low-scale pollution before, during and after that accident through the smokestacks at Windscale. It is a matter we should monitor through this House.