Feargal Quinn (Independent)

I welcome Senator Ó Brolcháin. It is good to have him in the House and we look forward to lively debates with him in the future.

I support what has been said by Senator Hanafin. The future of this country will depend to a very large extent on science. We have taken a viewpoint in recent times that science has gone away from our target policies. I am thinking particularly of the issue to which the Senator referred, genetic modification. A challenge is facing the world of not being able to produce enough food. If we turn our back on genetic modification, we are saying "no" to that.

At the same time, I have previously asked the Leader for a debate on nuclear energy. I believe it is necessary to include nuclear energy as part of the challenge facing us. We should not have our mind made up one way or the other. Too often, we have said, and we have stated in legislation in the past, that the energy challenge that is facing us must not include nuclear. I believe it should be included in the debate and I look forward to ensuring we have that debate some time in the near future.