Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I see that our plan to phase ourselves out is almost complete.

I would like to be associated with the tributes to Donal Walsh, a most inspirational young man. I do not want to pour negativity on the positive messages people are giving but, yet again, we in this House are the champions of rhetoric on suicide. Somebody who was dying spoke up and used their impending demise to promote an issue and we stand up, one after another, to say we should put in more resources and talk more about the issue - good old Donal; was it not fantastic the way he did something and we did not. Actions speak louder than words. I have in my hand a policy that was welcomed by everybody. It is comprehensive. It will cost €100 million a year and will reduce suicide by 30% yet we have not even debated it in this House. We could have any amount of the time available this week to debate it.

Actions speak louder than words except when it comes to suicide or unless there is a suicide or some child dies promoting suicide prevention. When are we going to start doing something about it? As Senator Eamonn Coghlan rightly said, let not this man's death been in vain, let it have meant something, finally. Actions speak louder than words. Let us debate it this week.

On an important issue regarding the procedures of the House, there are quotations in an article in today's Irish Examinerfrom correspondence of Members of the Houses with the Standards in Public Office Commission. I ask the Leader to contact the head of the Commission to request the identity of the person who provides briefings to members of the media in place of copy to provide colour articles to make fun of Members of the Oireachtas who go on foreign trips to research and inform themselves of very important issues to the people of the State, such as abortion. Irrespective of whether the trip to the United States of America, on which Members of both Houses went, ought to have been paid for directly by them or was correctly paid for by their hosts, the highest watchdog of the integrity of the Houses of the Oireachtas should not be engaged in gutter-sniping in the press in the interests of feeding copy to lazy journalists. I ask most respectfully that in the interests of the integrity of the House and the professionalism of the Standards in Public Office Commission, we have an answer to the question by tomorrow. It is unacceptable that an article in today's Irish Examinerauthoritatively quotes the private correspondence Members from all sides sent to the Commission for its consideration.

It is appropriate that someone should raise this matter in the House. Perhaps it is most appropriate that it should be me as I have never been on a foreign trip in 11 years in the House. I am the first to acknowledge, however, the importance of such trips in informing the business of both Houses.