Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire go dtí an Teach arís. Bullying is a difficult subject but I will commence on a positive note. I know the Minister is committed to dealing with the problem and is trying to figure out the best way to do so. I want to afford him the space to get it right because I would hate it to be done too quickly and for us not to get it right. I am confident the Minister will do his best and time will tell if the problem is resolved.

Bullying is an horrendous experience for anybody, let alone a child, a young adult, a pre-teen or a teenager. The consequences can be lifelong for those who survive and that indicates its seriousness. Unfortunately, there have been too many examples of young people who did not survive. A young boy from one of the schools in my town in County Clare committed suicide three days before his junior certificate examination. It had an horrendous effect on the children in his class. As the HSE quickly provided counselling, the apparatus of the State, to a certain extent, dealt with the emergency before the junior certificate examination took place. His family have adopted a positive approach by setting up the William Winder Rainbow Foundation and they fund-raise to make counsellors available to schools to help children in need. His family use social media in a positive way. I have attended a couple of their functions and admire their work. There are plenty of other organisations like them around the country doing admirable work.

I would like to see a small number of national organisations properly resourced and funded. Many organisations have been set up in communities following tragedies. They do great work but I would like to see a more co-ordinated approach. Perhaps the Government could examine how we can utilise the fantastic work that is being done and bring the organisations together into one single thread in order that we can benefit from the goodwill, hard work, commitment and the time given by people who care. I have spoken to many of them and know of their care and commitment.

I would like to talk about the effect bullying can have on people with disabilities. Young people with disabilities who want to go through mainstream education face challenges already without having to deal with bullying. Unfortunately, disability has a tendency to create difference which can be rounded on by children in a negative fashion. A national strategy must take cognisance of young children with disabilities who want to access mainstream education. We promote mainstream education and it is the right thing for people with disabilities. It is the only way to ensure that people with disabilities are integrated, but with that comes a responsibility to keep an eye on young people with disabilities, particularly minor disabilities. Sometimes a person with a minor disability can suffer much more than a person with severe disabilities.

The Internet is a new phenomenon but that is all. During my research for this evening's Private Member's motion, I looked at the Ask.fm website because it was referred to in the media. It claimed that a person's identity will never be revealed, which is one of its selling points. A person can say what he or she likes with the absolute confidence of anonymity. There is something fundamentally wrong with that.

We must also examine mobile phones and text messages with regard to bullying. Any young person, from whatever age upwards, can walk into a mobile telephone shop and buy one for ¤10, a SIM card for ¤5 or multiple SIM cards, if they have the money. There is no registration or traceability. I know from travelling in Spain that one can only buy a SIM card on the production of a passport, which is photocopied by the shop staff. That means there is traceability. It would not take a lot of legislation to introduce such a simple measure and perhaps it could be done through regulation. It would lead to the creation of a national database for mobile phone numbers and eliminate the unnecessary anonymity.

I know, as do all Senators, that the Minister is committed to resolving the problem of bullying and we wish him well. If there is anything we can do that is constructive, aside from having debates, he should tell us because we are ready to do it. Bullying is a national problem that needs to be dealt with.