Liam Twomey (Fine Gael)

The news that a eurozone country has seen its rating, regarding the repayment of loans, reduced to junk bond status is incredibly serious for eurozone economies. Following from what Senator Donohoe said yesterday, I call for an urgent debate on the euro. We must look at the future of the currency and the impact it will have on the economy, events outside our control and our ability to recover. Last night we had a debate on banking during which I tried to point out to the Minister of State, Deputy Mansergh, that we needed jobs and growth and possibly even inflation in order to come out of the financial doldrums. Although the euro has saved us to some extent, in other ways it is holding us back. We, therefore, urgently need a serious debate on our role within the euro system and where we fit within it.

A report published yesterday indicates that 80% of abused children are abused by family members and people with whom they have close contact. There has been much debate in the House about clerical sexual abuse, but the vast majority of childhood abuse cases happen within the home, with the perpetrator being a person close to the child. This has been lost in recent arguments. There are big issues with regard to the protection of children. I have seen instances where children were not believed, where when such an allegation is made, the family may split and there is often a reluctance to report the abuse. The House needs to have a debate on the issue and how we deal with child abuse in our communities in order that the headlines in recent months will not distract from the fact that the vast majority of the child abuse cases occur within the home.