Mary Henry (Independent)

I support the calls by Senators Dardis and Ryan for a debate on Iraq, but from a different point of view. Today is world population day and I have in my possession the UNFPA's most recent figures on maternal and infant mortality. In Iraq, maternal mortality is now 370 women per 100,000 births, while in Iran, the figure is 130 per 100,000 births. In Iraq, infant mortality is 64 per 100,000 live births, while in Iran, it is 36 per 100,000. Iraq always had the better medical service of the two countries, so who will now state that sanctions have not hurt Iraq's civilian population?

I also support calls for a debate on alcohol consumption and young people. The Leader said she was fortunate enough to have not supported the calls for an extension to opening hours. Unfortunately, I did support those calls because I believed that our drinking habits might become more like those of people on the Continent. On the contrary, we seem to have become uncontrollable. I suggest that we could narrow the debate down to a consideration of reversing the extension to drinking hours.