Liam Twomey (Fine Gael)

Will the Leader invite the Minister for Finance to come before the House? The Minister has not appeared in this Chamber in quite some time. The position in respect of the economy, particularly with regard to the banks, is changing daily. There is a need for a serious debate on this matter. There is a short article in today's Irish Independent which highlights the position of the Harvey Norman chain, which has stores across the globe. It is pointed out in the article that even though the position globally is difficult, Harvey Norman's retail business in Ireland is in a disastrous state. This is an indication that matters in this country are possibly worse than elsewhere. There is a need for a debate on this matter because things are changing and becoming worse on a daily basis.

I reiterate a call I made during last evening's Second Stage debate on the Stem-Cell Research (Protection of Human Embryos) Bill 2008 that an equivalent debate should take place in respect of the lack of legislation relating to in vitro fertilisation. As I said last night, this is putting the lives of women and children at risk and we need to do something about that immediately.