SEANAD REPORT:THE MOST symbolic gesture the Government could make to mark yesterday's 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights would be to allow Nigerian woman Pamela Izevbekhai and her two young daughters to remain in this country, Terry Leyden (FF) said.

The Government could do that without waiting for the determination of the proceedings at the European Court of Human Rights.

Frances Fitzgerald, Fine Gael leader in the House, commended The Irish Times for its supplement commemorating the signing of the declaration.

She believed this was an apt time to highlight once more the plight of Ms Izevbekhai, who was opposing deportation because she feared her daughters would have to undergo genital mutilation if they had to return to Nigeria. She hoped that the House could agree on an all-party motion.

Labhrás Ó Murchú (FF) said he thought that, given our history, it was important that we dwelt a little more on the spirit of the law and less on the letter of the law. "We should avail of every opportunity to show mercy and charity when we see a particular plight and when people feel particularly vulnerable."

David Norris (Ind) said he had written to the Minister for Justice suggesting that the Izevbekhai family be permitted to remain here for humanitarian reasons.

The Independent Senator said: "I accuse this Government of having the worst record on human rights of any government I remember."

Camillus Glynn (FF): "Rubbish!" Mr Norris said it was perfectly clear that there was an anti-human rights agenda in this Government.

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European financial aid for the problem here over pig meat products was justified because of the lack of agreement on country-of-origin labelling, Minister of State for Food Trevor Sargent told the Seanad. The absence of such labelling meant this was EU pork that was being talked about. "The commission, we are insisting, would regard our pork as part of EU pork production, and therefore the European Union has to respond."

Responding to Opposition criticisms over the outsourcing to another country of tests to establish food safety, Mr Sargent said that tests for the presence of dioxin cost between €1,000 and €1,200. He rejected a claim that this had diminished the willingness to have such tests carried out.

John Ellis (FF) said a big problem was that multinationals had taken control of the entire food industry, and in the process they were forcing producers to produce food at non-economic rates.