John Ellis (Fianna Fail)

I agree with Senator O'Toole's remarks and was going to raise the subject. We are turning politics into a profession seen as being in the worst category. We are viewed as people sponging off the State without giving a return. We are trying to attract people to politics but if they are told that coming in at 30 they will not get a pension until they are 65, nobody will participate. We will end up with only teachers being elected, although I do not say this with any disrespect because they have as much a right as anybody else to be elected to these Houses, or people who are exceptionally wealthy and can afford to be elected to the Oireachtas. Ordinary people setting out in life will not be able to be elected. A young doctor, solicitor, accountant or other professional or anybody under 50 will not even think of becoming a politician. We will end up with a House filled with geriatrics or billionaires.

Senator Donohoe mentioned the ratings agencies such Standard & Poor's which are manipulating world finance currently. Some of these big groups are taking enormous profits at the expense of the ordinary citizens around the world and a debate on the issue would be welcome.

I would appreciate it if the Leader took up with the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment or the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the issue of prices being paid to primary producers for products which end up on supermarket shelves across Europe at 30% more than primary producers receive in the UK. There is something wrong and there should be an investigation into the matter. The sooner that is done, the better because the issue has been raised in the House on a number of occasions. It has come to a head in recent weeks as we can see the prices being paid to primary producers here vis À vis what is paid in the UK.