David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I add my voice to those welcoming the historic election of this country's representatives to the human rights council of the UN. The Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade urged this to every incoming delegation and perhaps that played some small role in this.

I also very much welcome the result of the referendum on children's rights and draw attention to the fact that this House played a significant role. Last Thursday, a large number of Members changed their arrangements to take part in an historic debate to give the first opportunity for the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs to put the Government's position clearly before the public, which was important.

Both of these developments make it opportune for us to have a debate on human rights and what exactly they are. There are some in this House, such as my colleague, Senator Mullen, who feel that they are either static or can be rolled back. I take a different view. My opinion is that human rights are something that are capable of continual expansion as our understanding of the human personality grows. Within my lifetime, a referendum on children's rights was seen as impossible and regarded as outlandish. Children were supposed to be seen and not heard. Gay rights certainly were not as part of human rights and they certainly are now, whatever the technical definition that mean-minded people will seek to impose upon and to limit human rights. Human rights should be expanded as far as possible. Legislation is needed to flesh out the children's rights referendum. We need it to be resourced properly. At the time of the Roscommon incest case, we had the guardian ad litem programme which I was involved in through this House. It was not properly resourced, and, therefore, it did not operate properly.

Taking into account the business of human rights, what about the issue of suicide, which was so correctly and courageously raised on the other side of the House? Where is the national suicide prevention officer? Nothing has been done about this for the past year. The Government motion tabled about suicide does not mention the post; it just congratulates the Government here and there. I will table an amendment asking for this officer to be appointed. As a European and not just an Irishman, I am bitterly ashamed that we see today that in the wake of yet another suicide in Spain, this time of a prominent political figure, it has been acknowledged for the first time that Spanish banks have put 400,000 people out of their homes. Where are the human rights in this when people on a mass scale all over Europe are being ejected from their homes while in this country, where we fought for centuries against eviction, we are having evictions? Let us have a stop to this and let us confront the banks-----