Niall Ó Brolcháin (Green Party)

I call for a debate on community development. I heard many Senators talking about the top-down approach to the banks. We cannot take our eye off the ball in respect of social justice, community development and grassroots democracy. There is, as people will probably be aware, a major issue in respect of the merging of various agencies, CDPs and local area partnerships. It is vital that we get this process right. I ask the Government and the Taoiseach to ensure this process is operated to the best effect. Although I respect the fact that there will be cutbacks in this area, we need to be very careful about it.

I support Senator Daly's call for a debate on Gaza. When I was mayor of Galway, I was in constant contact with the mayor of Beit Lahiya, which is the third biggest city in the Gaza Strip. The man in question, Ali Abu Marasa, telephoned me regularly to tell me what was going on. At times, his house was surrounded by tanks. The people of Gaza have experienced absolutely appalling situations. It was very interesting to hear at first hand how people's daily lives were affected.

I am not sure what it is about stags and the Green Party. Stags keep coming up in relation to the Green Party.