Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)

I formally second Senator Harris's proposal for a debate on older people. He is correct in saying we need to harness the wisdom and experience of older people, particularly in these recessionary times, in terms of how to cope with the recession as a reality and also in terms of strategies for dealing with it. There is immense wisdom there to be tapped into. We also need to address in that debate the quality of life of older people, their participation in society and the fullness of their lives, as well as welfare issues.

One such issue is criminally wrong. It is a disgrace that there are a couple of hundred farmers' wives staging a sit-in at the Department of Social and Family Affairs because of a promise that was reneged on. There were told last year they were getting pensions if they paid one year's contributions. This year those pensions are wiped from under them and they are being told to pay them back. It is a disgrace, it is wrong and it amounts to the abuse of elderly women, farmers' wives who have been abused traditionally. I am calling on the Leader for an urgent debate, to invite the Minister to the House and express his revulsion in this regard. This revulsion should be shared by every Member of the House. It is wrong that those women are protesting and being denied their rightful pensions. It is wrong that their lives are being treated with such contempt at this stage. I appeal to the Leader that nothing should have more priority than this.