Kathleen O'Meara (Labour)

Will the Leader of the House once again place the issue of child care on the agenda for debate in light of the remarks by Dr. Robin Eames, the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh, at the opening of the church's General Synod in Dublin, yesterday? He stated that even the Victorians would not have tolerated the lifestyles of and pressures on parents and children in today's full working economy. A valuable OECD report on child care has been published and the National Economic and Social Forum will report in a few weeks on the issue. Many reports are available and the debate will continue but an indication that the Government intends to tackle this issue is absent.

I support the call for a debate on suicide. It is shocking that more people die as a result of suicide than car accidents. However, we should be well informed before we have the debate. I am not sure from where the information on suicide coming but I would like to obtain solid information from experts on what they believe are the causes of suicide and what preventative measures can be taken in schools, hospitals, sports clubs and the community generally to reduce the unacceptably high incidence of suicide.