David Norris (Independent)

I welcome the changes to the Order of Business, niggardly though they be. Five minutes is equal to £19/11, which was used in days gone by during sales in the shops. Why not go the whole hog and provide for an hour? However, the idea is a good one.

I wish to raise the case of Pamela Izevbekhai, which is a very important matter. We are all concerned about the practice of female genital mutilation. There appears to be some question about the falsity of the documents that were produced, the question of lying. A question also arises about the role of the Nigerian ambassador, who stated that female genital mutilation is a non-existent problem, that it does not exist in that country and that Pamela Izevbekhai has damaged her country. She said the Government was investigating the people who supplied the information on female genital mutilation, yet we have on record the Nigerian Government's submission to the United Nations from which it is clear the figures in this regard range from 2% to 65%. That is not a non-existent problem. The idea of investigating people who collect such statistics in an honest manner is chilling indeed. One wonders what might happen to Pamela Izevbekhai if she goes back to a country whose ambassador so clearly lies in this country. There are serious concerns about this matter. I suggest we might look at it.

With regard to the economy, I note that one of my colleagues has called for a metaphorical head. A Senator on the Government side invoked the French Revolution when speaking about social unrest. He seemed to look for a physical head in a basket, which is a little extreme. We should be prepared to engage in robust debate about the economic realities in this country, which are stark indeed. Senators have mentioned the chilling newspaper photographs of up to 1,000 people queueing for food parcels in Dublin. To my mind, that is one of the classic indicators of a depression. It is as sinister, at least, that a State organisation, Bord na Móna, has declared it may be unable to pay its pensions. I do not think Bord na Móna has been privatised yet — if it has been, it has been a disaster. I have highlighted two worrying indications that we may have reached a tipping point. Rather than merely calling for people's heads, we need to look at the situation calmly and rationally and reach conclusions that will assist the recovery of our economy.