Yesterday, 6 November, was a great day for the children of Ireland with the announcement of a new paediatric hospital. Let us hope that all of the various parties concerned, ranging between the medical industry, the academic industry and politicians here, come together to expedite the construction of the hospital.

The weekend before last was a very sad day for children. During the first weekend of our recess a young schoolchild in Donegal took her own life. A national consultation of over 300 primary schools here was carried out. It led the Ombudsman for Children to make a recommendation that schools take a more affirmative action to prevent cyberbullying.

Cyber bullying is a big issue, not just for children. It is a big issue for all of us who are prepared to log on to the social media network and read the desperate messages that have been posted. It is always the schools that are called upon to act. They must teach children about physical fitness, obesity and now they must teach them about the dangers of social media. Unfortunately, there is not much that teachers can do. Teachers are afraid to do anything because most of the time they are afraid of their students.

Bullying is an absolute nightmare for its victims. An online attack should be treated somewhat as a physical assault. Parents have the responsibility to monitor their children’s online activity. Further steps need to be taken to hold parents responsible, legally, morally and financially, for their child’s actions and words online. It is getting out of control and I call for a serious debate in the Seanad with the Minister for Justice and Equality to see what we can do to tackle cyberbullying and prevent more young people from taking their lives as a result.

I endorse all of what Senator Eamonn Coghlan said on bullying. I commend the many Members who have raised this issue for several months. I also agree with Senators MacSharry, Ó Murchú and Mullen on the dangerous and illegal activities carried out by some family planning clinics in this State. As Senator Ó Murchú stated, it is malpractice and, as Senators MacSharry and Mullen said, dangerous. The onus is on us to make laws and ensure they are upheld. I condemn in the strongest possible manner the activities carried out by these family planning clinics. I commend the Irish Independent and its investigative journalist for carrying this story.

Will the Leader invite the Minister for Defence, Deputy Shatter, to the House to discuss the future of the Reserve Defence Force? A strong rumour is circulating that he intends to disband this worthy and voluntary part of our Defence Forces. I want the Minister to outline to the House his plans for the future of this volunteer force and state clearly it is the Government’s intention to keep it active. We have a farcical situation where the Army barracks in Cavan was closed at the end of last March and handed over to the local vocational education committee at the beginning of September, which I welcome. Now, the Minister for Defence has told the Reserve Defence Force in Cavan that it should write to the VEC to see if it can accommodate it. This is ridiculous and farcical. Will the Leader invite the Minister to the House as a matter of urgency to debate this issue?