Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I agree it is primarily a justice issue in terms of what is just for the children involved. I am not sure that everything that is gradually being permitted constitutes progress in this regard. We could have a useful discussion on the matter.

I welcome policy document on suicide prevention published by Senator MacSharry and Fianna Fáil. It is very interesting from what I have seen. Others in Fianna Fáil, like Senator White, have also taken an interest and engaged with this issue in the past. We could have a discussion on this issue. There are aspects of the policy's proposals that I find particularly worthy of support, such as the greater resourcing of general practitioners. It seems to me that, unless we facilitate people locally to deal with the problem of suicide, we will not make inroads into prevention.

There are also wider questions about values in our society and whether people feel they have something to live for. There are bigger questions than merely ones of resources that need to be debated. It has been suggested there should be a levy on off-licences. Why should that levy not also apply to alcohol sold in pubs and so on? It may very well be that Senator MacSharry has answered that question in the policy document and I have not come across it yet. I add my support to welcome the document and to ask for a debate on it in early course.