Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)

I join with other Senators in asking the Deputy Leader to facilitate a debate on the IMF report, which is far from an endorsement of the Government. It states that the economy will contract by approximately 13.5% from 2008 until next year, with unemployment reaching 15.5% and bank losses having the potential to rise to €35 billion.

Senator Coffey is right and I ask the Deputy Leader to bring in the Ministers for Enterprise, Trade and Employment and Finance to have an all-day debate on unemployment. That is the single biggest challenge facing us and we are talking about the lives of ordinary people struggling and queuing for social welfare payments as they cannot repay mortgages or get credit from banks. The Government is in charge and dictates policy and if we lose sight of that, we may as well put up a "for sale" sign, lock the doors and go home. We should have that debate as early as possible.

Will the Deputy Leader facilitate a debate on sport in this country? The Olympic Council of Ireland and the Irish Sports Council are fighting and the Athletics Association of Ireland, which has a dispute with its chief executive, was before a committee yesterday. Sport is a major component of Irish social life and we should have a debate to examine it in root and branch detail and create better efficiencies in its administration. We must help our athletes and sporting personnel become better in their chosen field. I am worried that neither the Minister responsible nor the Government has the policies, initiative or interest to do this. We should not have these disputes in sport as it should be about the pursuit of excellence. I have asked for this debate on numerous occasions and we have not had it yet. I hope it can be facilitated.