Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)

It is a characteristic of humankind not to be happy. Senator Coghlan mentioned the voting system, which he says belongs to the people. Senator Mooney wanted a debate on Africa. I agree that is much needed.

Senator Cummins raised the signs regarding cancer treatment, one of which I saw in Dungarvan in March. We rant and rave about Joe Duffy, but he did the nation a service yesterday for an hour and a half in this regard. The difficulty is that proper alternative medicine has an authentic structure and people avail of it. However, the people behind these posters are not part of that. A man is offering a cancer cure for €100. It costs €20,000 in the Killaloe East Clinic to be "cured" and then people pass away. It is shocking when people are so caught up in despair over their loved ones. The Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Martin, made a statement on this today in the newspapers, but we should invite him to the House. The regulations are the problem, as Senator Feeney said. If one regulates the reputable alternative medical practitioners, what does one do about the others? It is significant that 20,000 people went to Killaloe. Three very well-spoken women contributed to Joe Duffy's radio show yesterday whose husbands had died and from whom the practitioner extracted €20,000 each. They did not believe in the possibility of a miracle cure but thought the treatment would arrest the progress of the disease. The autopsy on one of the husbands showed that all the tablets administered to him were still lodged in his gut. It is terrible. I am glad the Senator raised the issue because it would be suitable for the Minister to come in and talk about it.

Regarding Senator Browne's point, the report on e-voting will be published in Irish next week and we have the——