David Norris (Independent)

Will the Leader contact the Minister for Foreign Affairs to wish him success with the forthcoming international diplomatic conference on cluster munitions, to be held in Croke Park? I hope a treaty can be produced on foot of that meeting. In light of the resolutions which were passed unanimously on an all-party basis by the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and this House, it is important for the Minister, Deputy Dermot Ahern, to hold the line in the interests of everyone. European countries that persist in manufacturing these appalling instruments of misery and death will be represented at the conference. They will seek to weaken what is already on the table. I hope we will hold the line in that regard. In that context, I welcome the announcement made a week ago or so by the Minister that the process of disinvestment of this State's pension funds, etc. in companies that are associated with the munitions trade has commenced. We had been looking for such an announcement for some time.

Can the Leader arrange a debate on the extraordinary disappearance of hundreds of children who had been placed in care by the Health Service Executive? We have no record of them. We do not know where they are or what has happened them. Some of them appear to have ended up in the sex trade, which is not something this country should support.

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Lisbon treaty tomorrow. There seems to be an automatic assumption that the only positive outcome is a "Yes" vote. It is not democratic to suggest that one has the right to vote as long as one votes "Yes". Similarly, we should not patronise voters by telling them they cannot access a document that is amenable to "a third class child", whatever that is.