Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael)

I, too, would like to be associated with the words of goodwill and good wishes for the Minister, Deputy Séamus Brennan. I found him to be very courteous. He is a Galway man and I would like his contribution to be noted.

I call on the Leader to facilitate a cross-departmental debate in this House on the social, personal and health issues affecting young people in this country. Very important issues such as parenting and the important role that parents play must be addressed. Drugs and alcohol come under that banner. The Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Deputy Pat Carey, is on a very useful tour around the country at present to see if there is a need for a single strategy for drugs and alcohol.

Bullying must be examined. In a recent study of 4,500 young people, 43% said they had been bullied during the current term. Physical violence had been experienced by 90. That is a large number of young people experiencing physical violence today in Ireland.

Regarding suicide, as law makers we must look at a very serious issue, namely, the regulation of social networking sites such as Bebo and Facebook. I can tell the House that Galway is in shock right now. A young man took his life at the weekend having left his goodbye note on Bebo written in the past tense. Bebo and Facebook are making millions in revenue out of young people every year from advertising. They give nothing back to society or to youth in terms of social infrastructure. I ask the Minister, gabh mo leithscéal, the Leader——