Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)

I join Senator Coghlan in asking the Leader to bring the relevant Minister before this House to ensure the commuters of Munster, in particular Cork and Kerry, are not forced to further endure the hardship they have experienced in recent days. It is crazy and unacceptable that a wildcat strike has disrupted thousands of commuters. As an advocate of trade unionism I subscribe to the need for unions to negotiate on behalf of their members. However, to discommode many thousands of commuters from Cork and Kerry is farcical.

I join Senator Fitzgerald in asking the Leader to bring the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to the House to give an account of the Government's plans to reduce the shopping basket cost for the ordinary citizens of Ireland. The 20% increase in prices cannot be blamed on fuel costs and currency exchange rates alone. We need answers from the Government. We do not need soundbites from other Chambers but real action. Citizens today are enduring hardship and making sacrifices on behalf of their families. That is the legacy of the Fianna Fáil Government whether we like it or not. Let us have this debate urgently.

I ask the Leader to invite the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Deputy Martin Cullen, to the House to make a statement about the Irish Open golf tournament. This is an important part of our sporting calendar and I am concerned, as I am sure is the Leader, who is a keen golfer, that it could be lost due to a lack of sponsorship from corporate Ireland. Perhaps the Leader would organise a debate on this issue.