Michael McCarthy (Labour)

Given that a historic two day international conference on the AIDS epidemic is taking place in Dublin Castle, it would be timely for this House to debate the issue. According to the United Nations, 1.5 million people infected with HIV will be brought to the doorstep of the European Union by virtue of the forthcoming accession. In the first half of 2002, the National Disease Surveillance Centre diagnosed 207 cases in this country. Just because this issue is not being discussed, there appears to be a general attitude that it does not exist. However, it is a global epidemic, as Kofi Annan pointed out, and I would appreciate it if the Leader could organise a debate on it.