Marie Moloney (Labour)

I do. I will speak on a subject about which I feel strongly, which is the attitude of people towards those with mental illness. It has taken years to change the mindset of the people and their attitude towards those with a mental health issue. I strongly condemn a recent reality television show which ridiculed a person who clearly had a mental illness in order to boost ratings and to amuse others. It was clearly a case of abuse of people with a mental health illness.

I call on the Leader to ask the Minister of State with responsibility for mental health to come into this House for an in-depth debate on mental health issue. I would also like the Leader to ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources to tell us why this was allowed to be broadcast. I have no problem with the show itself, but this aspect of the show should not have been broadcast. If one of those contestants had decided to strip naked on the stage, would that have been broadcast? It would not have and that aspect would have been taken out. I cannot understand why they were allowed to broadcast a person with a mental health issue being ridiculed in public.