Cecilia Keaveney (Fianna Fail)

When will the animal welfare Bill be introduced in the House? I also reiterate Senator Wilson's frequently asked question about when legislation will be introduced to ban the party pill, as it is familiarly known, given the legislation was due to be introduced early in this session.

As I mentioned earlier this week in the Leader's absence, Scotland is the eighth highest consumer in the world of alcohol. Its government has taken on this important issue because it costs its economy £2.2 billion as a result of approximately 42,000 people attending hospitals with alcohol related problems. Given that Ireland is second in the world for alcohol consumption, we should return to the issue of alcohol abuse, not just because of the health risks and the financial cost it imposes on our economy in these straitened times but also because people are travelling to the North to buy alcohol and other commodities because of the price differential. Now that Scotland has taken on this serious issue, perhaps we should speak to our counterparts in the North with a view to formulating an all-Ireland alcohol policy, whether that involves minimum pricing, getting rid of happy hours, abolishing two-for-one deals and so forth. We should take on best practice given that the island shares a common problem with access to and abuse of alcohol.

There was a briefing today in Buswells Hotel by the Higher Education Authority on what makes Irish voters vote and how they vote. Given that International Women's Day is near, and I am aware the Labour Party has put forward a Bill to deal with gender issues in politics, I ask the Leader to arrange a debate on how to encourage more women into politics and how to help them reach the top of the tree in their areas of business. The research by the Higher Education Authority could be a starting point for a debate on what makes voters vote and how they vote and to examine the impact or role, from the female perspective, the decision making on candidate selection and presentation plays in that.