Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail)

I support the calls for a debate on the mortgage issue which is crippling the country with more than 60,000 families in mortgage arrears. The Minister for Finance should come to the House to address a range of issues. The Keane report has taken an excessively simplistic approach to solving the problem and we need to think outside the box to solve it. I support Senator Jim D'Arcy's call for a briefing by New Beginning to take place either in the Chamber or in the AV room, which would be very helpful to all the Members of the House.

Yesterday the CAP reform legislative proposals were announced. They will have far reaching consequences for Irish agriculture not least of which will be the transfer of funds from single farm payment to single area-based payments based on the 2014 land area farmers would have. If those proposals are given legal standing by the Parliament and the Council of Ministers there will be a land grabbing exercise between now and 2014 here and in every other member state. It is an unrealistic proposal coming from the European Commission on which we need an urgent debate.

I refer to what was said by the Sinn Féin Senator - I am sorry he is not here to listen.