Mark Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I propose an amendment to the Order of Business that No. 68, motion 15 be taken today. Will the Leader organise a debate with the Minister on this issue, which would be in parallel with Government policy about getting social protection for the self-employed? Obviously, in terms of those paying the pension levy, these people will not receive a pension but it might be something the Government would put together as part of its proposal on social protection payments for the self-employed, which is currently not the case. If the Leader is willing to organise a debate, we will look at pressing the amendment.

Will the Leader also organise a debate on the ongoing issue in the Mediterranean? It is a farce that the European Union High Representative is wringing her hands and crying crocodile tears over the loss of life in the Mediterranean when she has been well aware of the situation for the past year. She knows the EU has withdrawn its support for the Italian Government's rescue missions. She knows also that the consequences of that, in the famous words of Lord Trevelyan when he closed the soup kitchens in Ireland, are that the situation shall be left to the operation of natural causes. If the rescue missions in the Mediterranean for those escaping the horrors of the civil war in Libya and throughout Africa are scaled down or suspended, people will die. This EU action is entirely media related. It is entirely to do with the fact that the scale in terms of the number of deaths is enormous on this occasion but, in reality, hundreds of people have died in recent months and years because of the EU's withdrawal of the rescue missions. The EU High Representative has a case to answer in this regard. Her current action is only a response to her previous inaction. I ask that she and the Minister for Foreign Affairs be invited to come before the foreign affairs committee to discuss what we can do to put pressure on our EU colleagues to ensure this horrendous situation does not continue.