The education debate heard calls for the introduction of a counselling service in schools to deal with increased suicide levels. Mr Joe Buckley (Cork East) said suicide was a reaction to the pressures of life. "The number of suicides has risen at an alarming rate since the early 1990s to over 500 in 1998, the last year for which we have statistics. The biggest increase is among young men in the 16 to 25 age group."
Ms Anne Mooney (Cork South Central) said the National Suicide Research Foundation should be recognised as the national centre for suicide research in Ireland. "Ireland has one of the fastest rising suicide rates in the world."
Ms Mary Rochford (UCC) called for an increased level of higher-education grants. "In the light of the increased cost of living, especially relating to housing, grant maintenance and the threshold level for grant eligibility should be increased. Many students from middle-income families are still struggling with the financial burden of student life."
The Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, Ms de Valera, said she would finalise within the next few weeks her proposals relating to RTE's involvement in the provision of digital infrastructure. "The only comment I will make about yesterday's newspaper reports is that they are incorrect, and the Taoiseach will confirm this."
She said that RTE had an unequalled place in the Irish mindset. "In planning legislation and other measures, I want to ensure that it achieves as significant a role in this new century as it had in the last century. That role will be different. But it should be and will be both central and significant."