Mary Moran (Labour)

I welcome the deal that will be signed today in Europe to ensure a reduction from July of this year in mobile telephone roaming charges in respect of both voice calls and data usage. Data services will be capped at 70%, with staged reductions to follow until 2014. It is particularly to be welcomed that customers will have the option, from 2014, of purchasing their domestic and roaming services separately from different operators.

I wholeheartedly support the calls by Senators Brian Ó Domhnaill and Martin Conway for a debate on mental health and suicide. I attended two of the briefing sessions at the County Meath school to which they referred at which school management outlined their excellent and successful mental health policy. I also take this opportunity to congratulate the cross-party mental health group and the Oireachtas Library and Research Service on the recent report on mental health in Ireland. The reality is mental illness remains a terrible stigma in this country. While more people are now willing to talk about it, and we have had several debates on the issue in this House, we must actively seek action. Debates and reports are useful, but it is time now to take action to improve the situation. Concern is constantly expressed about the rate of suicide, especially among young people. I ask everyone to be vigilant as we approach the junior and leaving certificate examinations, which are a highly stressful time in the lives of young people. The first step, which does not cost money, is to talk to people with mental health issues.