David Norris (Independent)

I wish the Minister for Finance, Deputy Brian Lenihan, well on this critical day in his career and in the life of the country. This is not a time for smart-ass, partisan politicking. The circumstances are far too serious. We have had the largest stock-market crash since 1929 and we are probably heading into a slump. This has been triggered by the criminal greed and irresponsibility of the Bush-Cheney Administration. It is significant that the $700 billion that will be necessary to plug the hole in the banks is precisely the amount the Iraq war adventure has cost. We should take note of the fact that the so-called war on terror was used to mask a massive attack on civil liberties and human rights. I hope this economic crisis will not be used in a similar manner to mask an attack on the most vulnerable sections of our society. These are the people who need to be protected most.

I wish to flag concern — it is appropriate that it would come from this House — at reports from yesterday's newspapers that in the justice area a series of agencies are to be merged, including the National Disability Authority, which is in the middle of preparing the national disability strategy. This is not the time to be fiddling with it. Also included are the Equality Tribunal and the Equality Authority. In the past the Government has overridden that authority's recommendations and so it must not be further weakened. Also included is the Irish Human Rights Commission, which was established statutorily. It is required to be an exact parallel to that existing north of the Border. This should not be tampered with. It is also proposed to assume the Combat Poverty Agency into the Department of Social and Family Affairs' office for social inclusion. This will simply make it an arm of Government and will prevent it from independent research and reporting and being positively critical of Government policy.

We in this House must play a role in safeguarding the rights and welfare of the most vulnerable people in our society. In the past year I have regularly raised the issue of the increase in the number of home repossessions of people getting into difficulty. This increase is gathering speed. The courts had a series of repossession orders on which the judges have commented. It is significant that now every institution, including all the financial institutions that are being baled out, is applying for repossession. This is not tolerable. I agree with Senator Obama in the United States who called for a moratorium on repossessions for three months, which we also need in this country. I am calling today for precisely that kind of moratorium.

We are in the middle of a global situation. However, we have played our own role through incompetence and lack of supervision. I heard this morning that in the health service, for every front-line person engaged, there have been two managers. That is madness. We played our own provincial role in this economic tragedy and it seems as if the Executive's snout was rarely raised from a trough that was regularly replenished with luxurious swill at the expense of the taxpayer. That must also stop. We all need to buckle down in this critical situation. The most important thing we can do is to support any reasonable Government policy in this difficult time, but in so doing we must ensure nothing is contained therein that constitutes an attack on the most vulnerable, marginalised and poor.