Colm Burke (Fine Gael)

I support the call by Senator Ivana Bacik for a debate on the reform of the sale-of-alcohol legislation. The National Suicide Research Foundation published a timely report today that showed 78% of 190 people who committed suicide in the Cork region had abused alcohol in the preceding 12 months. Some 35% had abused both alcohol and drugs in the preceding 12 months. The report shows a direct connection between substance abuse and mental illness and suicide. It is important that the reform required to restrict the sale of alcohol be introduced at a very early stage. This must be dealt with if we want to deal with suicide. We should debate this in the House at a very early date.