Dominic Hannigan (Labour)

The prediction that the European Central Bank is set to reduce interest rates by a further 0.25% today to just 1%, which is its lowest ever level, is welcome news for many hard-pressed home owners. It could lead to an approximate saving of €40 for them each month if the reduction is passed on. It is vital that it is passed on because we are in danger of witnessing more people having to give up their homes because they cannot afford them. At the moment, our social housing lists are as high as they have been at any time during the past 40 years. Before Seán Lemass's leadership led to change in modern Ireland in the early 1960s, there were 60,000 people on the social housing lists. Even after the boom of the Celtic tiger years and the biggest house building programme in the history of the State, 60,000 people are still looking for houses. It is a failure on the part of the Government. The further additional cuts that have been announced recently mean that these figures will increase further. The Leader should request the Minister to attend the House to explain exactly what he will do to tackle the area of social housing before it spirals out of control.

I commend the ESRI on its report on job discrimination in Ireland. The report shows that people with foreign-sounding surnames have only half the chance of getting job interviews compared with those with Irish-sounding surnames. This is despite having the same qualifications. The rate is high compared with other countries and, as the author points out, more information needs to be given to employers on this issue. Discrimination in the workplace needs to be tackled. To get the country out of this mess, we must ensure we have the best qualified people for the job. It does not matter whether they are applying for factory jobs in the west or office jobs in Dublin, no one should get a job based on their name, who their father was or who their brother is. It should be purely down to their ability to do the job. I therefore ask the Leader to arrange a debate on workplace discrimination. Since one third of the Fianna Fáil Ministers of State, and half Fianna Fáil's Cabinet members, are descendants of politicians, I ask for that debate to include the dangers of nepotism.