I support Senator Darragh O'Brien. He did the Seanad and the nation a great service by raising the issue of the apparent corruption in some areas of NAMA. The Seanad should be given full credit for this. I noticed that throughout the media it disappeared and that it was suddenly credited to the Dáil, but it was Senator Darragh O'Brien and this House that really exposed it. The House owes the Senator a vote of commendation for this. Also, the issue in this House in terms of the legislation on that body was the series of Chinese walls, the privacy, the lack of freedom of information and the lack of openness and transparency throughout NAMA. From now on it should be far more accountable.

I was very disturbed to hear the reports about vegetables such as brussels sprouts, potatoes and so forth being sold for about 6 cent in the supermarkets. That is below-cost selling. I was probably the only Member of this House who opposed the removal of the groceries order, and it was for this reason. I knew that small Irish businesses would be driven out of existence by multinational conglomerates. I am sorry to inform the House that on Christmas Eve the oldest shop in Parnell Street, which is my newsagents and is almost a community hub, will close its doors for the last time. It is partly due to this practice. It is an absolute shame. We should be looking after our communities, particularly at this time. The blather of the Minister today about regulating this, that and the other is not enough. What is required is something to stop these big companies crucifying the small suppliers and putting them out of business if they do not play ball and become their single supplier.

I second Senator O'Donovan's amendment requiring the Minister to come to the House. I know it is unrealistic because the Minister is over in Brussels, probably counting the sprouts, but it is a very important matter. Senator O'Donovan has been leading on this. He is one of the most important people in either House to raise these issues. It is a type of European piracy, because we were too stupid to realise the resources we had. The Minister might not be in the country but as a protest against the betrayal of the Irish fishing industry and the loss of 300 jobs, I second the amendment and I hope Senator O'Donovan calls a vote.

If there are genuine issues and concerns in respect of NAMA, and it appears there are, the appropriate authority to investigate them is the Garda. Any information people receive should be conveyed to the Garda. It is important to bear in mind also that valuations carried out even six months ago are now out of date because the market has changed.

I received a telephone call in the last week regarding a property that was sold at a public auction. A large number of properties were being sold, but the property concerned was not on the catalogue and was not advertised, yet it was purchased at the public auction. That raised concerns. Certainly, the person who contacted me raised concerns as how a property could be sold at a public auction without it being on the auction catalogue. Perhaps there is a logical explanation, but it raises questions. If anything untoward is happening in respect of what are now State assets, there must be transparency and full disclosure. It is important that valuable information is not leaked to a small number of people who can gain financially from that. Anybody who has relevant information should not hesitate to contact the Garda and the Garda Commissioner and convey that information, so a thorough investigation can be conducted into the matter.

Deirtear sa Ghaeilge, cuir síoda ar ghabhar agus is gabhar i gcónaí é. Sílim go bhfuair muid léiriú eile de sin inné leis an bplean eacnamaíoch a chuir an Rialtas seo amach, mar níl sa phlean eacnamaíoch ach píosaí tarraingthe le chéile ó ráitis éagsúla agus seoltaí éagsúla a déanadh le bliain anuas. I ndáiríre, tá sé scanallach gur chosain sé €70,000 ar an gcáiníocóir leis an PR pack sin a chur le chéile.

I echo the support voiced this morning for Mr. Eddie Downey, the new leader of the IFA. I wish him well in his new role.

Like Senator O'Donovan and Senator Norris, I have grave concerns about the deal that was done overnight on the fisheries quota. As has been said, the Irish fisheries industry has been decimated over a number of years. The EU has been very detrimental to the fishing industry in Ireland, which is the reason so many young people have left the industry. I was talking to fishermen this morning and they are totally frustrated by the deal that has been made. They believe it will be detrimental to them, as they have lost important quotas that they needed to keep. They are also very frustrated by the broader picture. They still see huge factory ships sailing off our coasts which are taking huge amounts of fish. There appears to be scant policing of them, while the authorities here are very strict on the Irish fleet.

As Senator O'Donovan indicated, fishermen here are frustrated when they see boats from other EU countries being allowed to catch much larger quotas of fish in Irish waters. Those involved are particularly worried about the proposals in respect of whitefish stocks and the lack of progress on a deal between the EU, Norway, the Faroe Islands and Iceland regarding quotas. Vessels from the latter countries are entering our waters and fishing them at will. I accept that the Minister, Deputy Coveney, is quite amenable to coming before the House but an urgent debate is required on this matter. The "Ho, ho, ho" was taken out of Christmas for most fishermen when they heard the details of the agreement that has been reached. It had been stated that, based on science, we would receive a much better deal. However, it appears we have been completely let down by science in this instance. It is very important we debate this issue as a matter of urgency.