David Norris (Independent)

I support Senator Fitzgerald's remarks about the deferment or cancellation of the cervical cancer vaccination programme. That is regrettable because it could, apparently, save the lives of 200 young women every year, or at least prevent them from getting cancer. It is a simple regime involving three injections, but at €600 it is costly. That means that, once again, the wealthy people in our society will avail of it and the disadvantaged will be further hurt.

There appears to have been a lack of coherent thinking on this issue. The programme was announced but we now know from the freedom of information inquiry RTE made that the Health Service Executive felt it would be virtually impossible to roll it out before 2010 at the latest. There is a significant problem, therefore, in that respect. A woman who had been successfully treated for cervical cancer was on a television programme last night. She was naturally apprehensive about her daughter and felt very aggrieved that this vaccination programme would not go ahead.

Yesterday, we spoke in glowing terms about President-elect Obama and I have not changed my mind, but yesterday was a day for celebration and praise, which was very justified, and we all felt elated. President-elect Obama has shown himself to be judicious and restrained, qualities I admire but do not always emulate, and that was clear throughout the election. However, there were one or two occasions on which I was concerned. For example, he said he would authorise military intervention in another sovereign state without notification — I refer to Pakistan. That is a big mistake. I believe that was said because a type of Dutch auction on military options was induced by the McCain camp, but that is a dangerous way to proceed. He was shown in a clip last night saying, "I will kill Osama bin Laden and I will destroy al-Qaeda." That is inflammatory rhetoric. I hope he will, in practice, go back to being judicious because it is not a question of the name, the colour or the personality of the person, it is a question of the policies, and if he goes on with that kind of approach I will oppose President-elect Obama as much as I opposed George Bush, not that he will be aware of it.