Michael McCarthy (Labour)

I congratulate Senator Norris for his association with what is a unique event in this country and I wish to be associated with the remarks of the Leader and of the other speakers.

The point regarding the cost of tribunals is fair. These Houses set up the tribunals but no one thought at that time the amount of money and the length of time it would take the tribunals to sift through their very complex and detailed work. There is an understandable frustration among the public regarding the cost of tribunals. Considering the Houses of the Oireachtas set up the tribunals, would it be possible to set up a corruption investigation agency or some like body to do much of the work on which tribunals are expending so much money and time? Are our priorities right in this regard? We must be cognisant of the time constraint and the vast amount of taxpayers' money being spent on tribunals. I would welcome a debate on this issue to see if we could find an alternative method of dealing with these very serious issues.

The National Disease Surveillance Centre figures for the spread of AIDS are frightening. In the 1980s, we spent millions of pounds on advertising campaigns to highlight the dangers of this disease and to prevent its spread. However, a lackadaisical attitude seems to have come to the fore in recent years. We now know that minority groups are no longer exclusively affected by this deadly disease. It is now almost more threatening to heterosexuals than to homosexuals and drug addicts. The issue needs a strong debate and a strong public platform. I call on the Leader to organise a debate in the House which, I hope, will lead to a reinvigoration of the public awareness campaigns of recent times.