During the Order of Business in the Seanad, I said: Will the Leader organise a debate on the Prison Service, a subject about which Senator Bacik has spoken eloquently in the past? It is some time since we had a debate on the service and several changes have occurred in the past several months...

I would like the position regarding the development at Thornton Hall to be confirmed. Recent figures showed a rise in the number of people in prison for not paying debts. It is like going back to Dickensian days when other solutions can be found.

I am also concerned about the level of early releases. The European Court of Human Rights has issued instructions as to what we have to do with our jails. I accept a debate on the Prison Service would be very wide but it would be useful to have the views of the new Seanad. It is essential it gives this topic the attention it deserves.

Food exports have been successful in recent times. However, we must bear in mind the Spanish cucumber E. coli case. Today the German authorities had to apologise and admit they made a mistake. Spanish cucumbers were not the source of the outbreak as they had originally claimed. This was after hundreds of millions of euro worth of exports for Spanish farmers were wiped out by the original claim, devastating their businesses. While the apology will come with some form of recompense for Spanish businesses and farmers, it is a reminder of how this could happen to Irish food exports.

Only 18 months ago, the pigmeat business was devastated due to a dioxin problem identified by our controls with huge harm done to our exports. What is worse, however, is when an authority in another country makes a comment that can devastate a business as has happened in the Spanish case. We must take steps to ensure we can avoid such a situation arising with our food exports.