Cecilia Keaveney (Fianna Fail)

On the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, it must be recognised that more walls have been erected in Northern Ireland in recent years than was the case in the preceding decades. I am sure there are other countries in which divisions remain to be overcome. Would it be possible to use today's anniversary celebrations as a symbol of hope that all of the other walls - either physical or otherwise - between people can be broken down and that the image of the other can be the focus of all governments across the globe?

Last week I had occasion to meet Ion Caramitru, the Romanian who was famously pictured standing on top of a tank and waving a flag when the era of Soviet power came to an end in his country in 1989. Mr. Caramitru later served as his country's Minister for Culture before returning to acting and directing in the theatre. In that context, I request a debate on copyright and authors' rights, an issue in which Mr. Caramitru is extremely interested. Copyright and authors' rights are not the same, particularly in view of the fact that someone else can own copyright to one's work. People are now in a position to scan one's work - music or books one has written - onto the Internet and as a result, one can lose all one's rights. I am, therefore, seeking a debate on authors' rights.

One week after publication of the report on how to encourage more women to become involved in politics and at the risk of sounding sexist, I agree with Senator Bacik's assertion that there might be a quicker way to reach the end of most of our debates.