The Order of Business is No. 1, statements on suicide and mental health, to be taken at the conclusion of the Order of Business, with the contributions of group spokespersons not to exceed eight minutes and those of all other Senators not to exceed five minutes and the Minister to be called on to reply not later than 5.40 p.m.

While the debate proposed for this afternoon is extremely important and welcome, it is fair to say the Government's legislative programme is very light with little legislation being put through the Houses. We will have statements on a number of days this week. That is a sign, if we needed one, that the Government is in complete and utter chaos with one side not knowing what the other side wants to do while everybody is talking about water charges which are very important.

As has been remarked on by numerous people in recent weeks, what about everything else that is happening? That seems to be ignored, while one topic is given full attention at Government level and continues to confuse and cause chaos among the public. One such issue that is being completely ignored is that of the fair deal scheme. I appreciate that we had statements on health last week, but the fair deal scheme is one that should be dealt with separately. More than 2,000 older people are waiting almost four months for a bed in a nursing home. All Members know this as the families of most of those people would have called to the clinics of Senators and Deputies in their communities. Certainly, I am aware of a number of these cases. Often one is dealing with people who have advanced dementia, whose spouse has died and whose families cannot care for them or, in some cases, they have no families. The fair deal crisis is targeting the sickest and vulnerable older people in society. It could have been avoided if a realistic budget had been allocated for health last year instead of tricking around with figures which were designed to confuse and complicate matters but, ultimately, have the effect of causing real hardship and hurt in communities.

In many counties the waiting list for the fair deal scheme has increased by 300% during the past 12 months. In Laois-Offaly the numbers have increased from 17 to 68, in Meath from 13 to 52, in Wexford from 12 to 48, in Donegal from 16 to 64 and in Roscommon, my colleague Senator Terry Leyden's county, from 7 to 28 at the end of September 2014. This is outrageous. These increases, in numerical terms, tell the startling story of what is happening to older people and what value we put on older people. We hear the Taoiseach speak regularly about making Ireland the best small country in the world in which to do business. As my leader has said that is not a value, it may be a worthy objective but values are things like making Ireland the best small country in the world in which to grow old, where one is comforted and cared for by family and friends and the State, if necessary. These figures belie that objective and are a disgrace. We should have a debate on the issue and those figures need to be highlighted as this is a cause of real suffering and hardship for people.

I thought it was particularly appropriate today on Remembrance Day that we mark the opening of the Seanad business, as we do every day at the commencement of business, with a minute's silence. I am aware that there has been some debate about this in the other House, as there is only a prayer there and no formal acknowledgement of the presence in the Chamber of persons of faiths other than the Christian faith or persons who are atheist or agnostic.

I am really glad, therefore, that we will have a minute's silence. For those in the Visitors Gallery who may not have been aware of it, that is how we open our business and it is fitting to do so.

I pay tribute to the late broadcaster Brian Farrell, whom I knew a little and whom many Members of this House would have known very well. We note his passing and convey our sympathy to his bereaved family.

I thank the Leader for facilitating today's debate on mental health and suicide, which are hugely important issues. It is an appropriate date for such a debate as we remember the hundreds of people who lose their lives through suicide each year. Many contributors to the debate will focus on suicide prevention, but in my contribution later I will also speak about dementia. Perhaps we could have a debate in future specifically about the development of the national dementia strategy. The Alzheimer's Society has been particularly active on the issue.

I am also seeking a debate on policing in the light of the Garda Inspectorate's report which is to be released today. We already know that it contains quite a number of recommendations aimed at addressing inconsistencies in the recording of reported crimes. There is a real problem whereby we see inconsistencies in the recording of crimes that are reported to An Garda Síochána, which make our crime statistics much less reliable. Given that we have had serious changes in the way in which we record crime in recent years, it makes it difficult to draw meaningful comparisons from one year to the next. In addition, the report will raise serious issues concerning policing methods and tactics. It would, therefore, be useful to have a debate on these matters. I know that the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality will consider the report, but this House should also debate it.

As it is Remembrance Day today, I am happy that on Thursday this week we will be having statements on commemorations. To that end, we will be hearing from the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Heather Humphreys, on the strategy for commemoration planning.