Dan Neville (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the presentations. One of the biggest challenges has been highlighting the stigma. That is the most difficult thing to change, as we have seen in the area of mental ill-health. It can even be subtle: where people know that someone is HIV-positive and say they do not have a problem with that, why would they have to say so if they really did not have a problem? It is ingrained once it is established because of the history.

Has any research been done on the level of stigma in society? St. Patrick’s Hospital did research in the past two years on mental illness, and the results were quite frightening. Stigma allows the political system to pay less attention to the area. Society does not demand that something be done about HIV because the people who are HIV-positive do not raise it with politicians because of the stigma. The whole area is extremely challenging. The press has an enormous role to play in this respect too. Does it recognise what the witnesses have presented today in respect of HIV? Is it informed or does it have any interest in being informed about the situation? In some sections of the press, sensationalism is more important than information. Over the decades, around the area of HIV and AIDS there was certainly sensationalism. There is an element of that present in the debate on HIV. The challenge is to inform the press. I am not painting all of the press in that light. Some have made fantastic positive contributions in this area, especially radio. The attitude is hopefully moving away from sensationalism, but we have a long way to go in society in terms of the way people discuss it or avoid discussion of the area, which is nearly more important.