David Norris (Independent)

Again, I call for a wide-ranging debate on the economy. It seems to me we are revisiting the 1970s with the announcement the other day of a new version of passports for sale and now the financial lure in tax breaks for business executives. There may well be reasons for this but they should be teased out in this House. To people on the ground who are having their services cut back, it looks obscene that people on enormous amounts of money should have tax concessions of a very considerable nature. We are moving into a two-tier society.

I also sympathise with the Greek leader who said they were being put under pressure to sign a document in one hour which will govern the conditions in their country for the next 50 years. These matters have an effect in how we perceive society and human rights. When the situation economically is so disastrous, we tend to take our eyes off the ball on other matters.

For that reason, despite the economic situation, I welcomed yesterday's briefing at the foreign affairs committee indicating the strong possibility that Ireland will receive a seat at the UN human rights committee. I hope this will happen and it will take up issues such as trafficking which have been highlighted by the foreign affairs committee. At the committee, I made the point it is not just women who are trafficked and had the wording of a proposed motion changed to "persons". Adult males and young boys in a small number of circumstances are also trafficked.

A wide-ranging debate on the economy can take in literature and other unexploited resources. For example, the short story was invented in this country by Maria Edgeworth, a fact conceded by no less an authority than Chekhov. We have great women writers like Mary Lavin, almost forgotten now, Molly Keane and others. Why do we not use these resources? I would be very grateful if we could have the widest possible debate on the economy.