Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)

I join in the words of congratulations to Archbishop Sean Brady on his nomination to the College of Cardinals. I am proud to be a neighbour and fellow countyman of his. He is an extremely great pastor as well as a great intellectual. I am also delighted to join in the congratulations extended to Anne Enright. It is a great personal achievement for her and it will be a great by-product of her success if it enhances and increases the level of debate on suicide.

I support Senator Bradford in his timely call for an urgent debate on the pig industry. The industry is on its knees and is suffering greatly. The losses range from €15 to €20 per pig. The difficulty is that the imported pork can be fed from genetically modified food while the reverse is the case in this country and it results in an unlevel playing pitch. It is a serious matter on which many lives and many jobs depend. There are people lobbying in Dublin all day today at their own expense.

I wish to raise one other serious issue. Will the Leader please convey to the relevant Ministers the necessity for urgent legislation to ensure mandatory reflector clothing for pedestrians and cyclists and on-the-spot fines for non-compliance? This is a serious matter from a road safety point of view. Lives are at stake and innocent people can be involved in accidents. This matter has been passed at my county council and at a number of other chambers.