There has been a lot of talk this morning about suicide prevention. It should be acknowledged that many people in this House, particularly Senator Gilroy, have done exceptional work in this area. We are now dealing with a national emergency. Suicide in this country is now at crisis level. We need a very intensive response from the Government. It is heartbreaking to attend the funerals of beautiful young people who have died as a result of suicide. I would like a Cabinet sub-committee with sole responsibility for dealing with this country's suicide epidemic to be established as a matter of extreme urgency.

Hear, hear.

The sub-committee should report back to the Houses of the Oireachtas on the steps that are being taken to resolve this issue.

There has been some discussion about rural pubs this morning. I would like to call on the people of Ireland to develop a community co-operative system to help people who live in isolated rural areas to get to the pub. Perhaps their neighbours could get involved in a system of rotation similar to that used in the designated driver scheme, whereby a person will stay off the drink in order to be able to drive others home from the pub at the end of a night out. Why can this not be extended to facilitate those who would like to do something for their communities by bringing people to and from the pub? Why do the drinks companies not engage in some sort of promotion to encourage the citizens of this country to keep an eye on their neighbours in this way? When Senator McAleese's wife was President of Ireland, a scheme was organised to facilitate people who were willing to bring their older neighbours to matches. We should establish a similar system to encourage neighbours to bring older people to the pub and thereby give them the social outlet they so desperately crave.

I will conclude by speaking about the driving licence system. My understanding is that scanners throughout the country are not working. I understand that the scanner in the main tax office in Ennis is not working today. The system is not working. I am afraid we will have a repeat of the SUSI scenario.