Maria Corrigan (Fianna Fail)

I support Senator Mullen's comments on the need for a debate on the recent Law Reform Commission report regarding advanced care orders. The concerns voiced by the Senator raise the inhumane prospect of a person being starved and parched to death rather than treatment being withheld. There is a difference between treatment and basic care. I am sure colleagues will recall the distressing situation that arose approximately 18 months ago when a decision was made to withhold nutrition and hydration from a young lady who had been in a coma. It is a terribly inhumane way to die. It is important that this House debates advanced care orders.

Second, will the Leader invite the Minister of State with responsibility for children to the House to discuss the proposed bilateral agreement with Vietnam on adoption? Two reports were prepared over the summer, one by UNICEF and the other by the Vietnamese. Many parents are suffering dreadfully and are anxious to know the position with their proposed adoption of a Vietnamese child. I am aware from meeting and communicating with them that their only intent is to offer a loving and safe home. They do not wish to be part of anything wrong but they want to know where they stand so they can move on with their lives.

Finally, could the Leader invite the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Deputy John Moloney, to the House? There have been anecdotal accounts, particularly in the last couple of months, of a dramatic rise in the number of suicides as a result of the economic situation. I congratulate the HSE on the supports and pamphlets it made available over the summer which give people practical advice on how to support their mental health and well-being. However, it is important to establish whether there has been an increase in the number of suicides and what role the Oireachtas can undertake to support people in these difficult times.