Seanad debates

Thursday, 4 December 2008

10:30 am

Photo of Fidelma Healy EamesFidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael)

A number of weeks ago I made an urgent request of the Minister for Health and Children to introduce legislation to control the sale of herbal ecstasy in head shops throughout the country. Senator Wilson repeated the call in an Adjournment debate. I reiterate the request as a result of numerous calls from parents and health officials yesterday in Galway city. The head shop in Galway has distributed leaflets throughout the city advertising and offering a 15% discount in legal highs, skins, pipes and bongs for Christmas. However, the substance about which I am most concerned is BZP, the party pill, which has led to two young people receiving psychiatric treatment in University College Hospital Galway for three and four weeks, respectively. I appeal to the Leader because Government inaction is leading to threats to the safety and mental health of our young people. I acknowledge the House has a full programme but the Leader and the Government will not want to put the mental health of our young people at risk and, therefore, I would like a response on when they will act.

I invite the Minister for Education and Science to the House again. This morning's lead story in the Irish Independent about the widening gap between the top performing and low achieving schools is worrying. I am not surprised by the news but it is totally misleading because the published leaving certificate results of top performing schools are not valid unless they are benchmarked against the entry performance of the same students in first year because we cannot be sure that is due to the school.

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