Pearse Doherty (Sinn Fein)

I echo the calls for a debate with the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to discuss unemployment. Senator Mary White referred to an unemployment level of 12.5% but in my constituency, which is also that of the Tánaiste, it stands at 30% of the workforce. It would be apt to have a debate but whether she would have any suggestions is another question. The debate would give the different political parties the opportunity to discuss, in a structured way, their proposals for getting Ireland back to work.

Last year I tabled an amendment calling for the reduction in the rate of VAT when the Government was proposing to increase it by 0.5%. The Minister said we could not afford to reduce VAT because we would lose more than €200 million. InterTrade Ireland will attend a meeting with the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement tomorrow and will talk about the effect cross-Border shopping is having on the economy in this State. Up to €810 million will be lost so we need a stimulus package to inject confidence back into the retail sector, especially in the Border areas. If the Tánaiste can make her way to the Seanad Chamber I will ask her to address that matter.

I also call for a debate on Irish unity. During statements on the Good Friday Agreement I made the point that all parties refused even to murmur the words "Irish unity". If we are able to talk about what happened in Canada 60 years ago we should be able to discuss how this State lives up to the aspirations in the copy of the 1916 Proclamation which is hung in the front hall of the Houses of the Oireachtas. I say "copy" because the real proclamations are sold at the auctioneers across the road at Easter time. How do we live up to the ideals presented on the steps of the GPO so many years ago? Have we made a half-arsed job of living up to the dream of the republic which Pearse and Connolly had? How do our political parties aim to bring that about? That leads me to my final point. I am disgusted, sick, sore and tired of this public sector bashing, time and again, by the Fine Gael Party. We talk about waste in the public sector, but we are sitting in one of the biggest causes of waste in that sector, this Chamber and ourselves as Senators. We are failing to reform the Seanad.