Ivana Bacik (Independent)

I support the amendment put forward by Senator O'Toole and seconded by Senator Alex White that we would have a debate on the economy today and, if necessary, defer some of the Stages of the Social Welfare and Pensions Bill until tomorrow. That is an important motion that we all should support in light of the very depressing and concerning news of the report from the ESRI. I ask those who say that this is an international problem and it is no worse here to look at what the ESRI is saying. The ESRI is saying Ireland is set for the sharpest fall in economic growth experienced by any industrial country since the great depression. Ireland is worse than anywhere else. I do not know how often we on the Opposition side must say it for the Government to understand that but it is certainly something of which everyone in the country is aware as the reality bites and unemployment rises. We are looking at a return to the 1980s as there are projected unemployment figures of 17%. When I graduated in 1989 it was 18% and we were told by the late Brian Lenihan that this island would be too small for all of us. We are facing a return to those grim economic days of the 1980s.

I also thought we were returning to the 1980s when I saw reports in The Irish Times today that we are to see a return of the crime of blasphemous libel proposed by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. The last thing we need is to see blasphemous libel being placed on the Statute Books. I would be very concerned about that. We have seen enough religious domination in this country.

I ask for an answer from the Leader on what is happening with the Adoption Bill and whether we will have it back next week in this House for Report Stage. I received a disturbing report that the processing of inter-country adoptions in Ireland effectively has been frozen because Vietnam has not agreed the draft agreement we were to have signed with it to allow inter-country adoptions continue. I also heard that the processing of adoptions from Russia has been frozen as a result of dissatisfaction of the Russian authorities with the Health Service Executive, HSE, on post-adoption reports. This is of great concern. There are many prospective adoptive parents in Ireland who are very concerned about this. We need the Minister of State, Deputy Barry Andrews, back in this House to answer questions on that from the Opposition, to debate the Adoption Bill and to try to resolve this problem for parents in Ireland.