Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)

I compliment the victims who marched outside the gates of Leinster House. Their dignified protest was very moving and left many of us full of anger and sadness at what it has transpired happened to them.

I join Senator Mary White in praising the report of the Sub-Committee on the High Level of Suicide in Ireland. It is extraordinary. I ask the Leader to invite the Minister for Health and Children to the Chamber for an urgent debate on mental health, especially with regard to suicide. It is unacceptable that in Ireland suicide is four times more common in men than in women and, more importantly, men aged under 35 years of age account for 40% of all suicide deaths. That statistic should not be left on the page of a report; we must act upon it. A Vision for Change was promulgated as being the next big thing. What has happened to it? Are we taking men's health and mental health seriously in this country? I do not think we are and it is time for an all-day debate on men's health and mental health.

Will the Leader invite the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Martin, to the House for a debate on the Lisbon treaty? It is important that the nation and Members prepare for the Lisbon referendum. The ratification of the Lisbon treaty will be the next big electoral test. More importantly, it will determine our future role in Europe. We cannot be the peripheral nation on the edge of Europe by having the treaty defeated. We must have a debate on it, on the guarantees, and on the changes being made to the treaty. That must take place now so that we can move this country to the heart of Europe.