The Senator has a sense of humour.

How does one follow that? A number of my colleagues have mentioned drug addiction, while one has mentioned the problems faced in emergency departments. A couple of weeks ago I had the misfortune of having to spend the best part of 24 hours in an emergency department with a relative who was a frequent visitor to the place owing to chronic health issues. I cannot begin to recount the girl's distress in sitting in the emergency department, surrounded by people who were either substance abusers, completely drunk or high on drugs. Surely the emergency department is not the place to treat such persons? We would change the entire system if a proper place could be provided for those suffering from substance abuse.

Whatever happened to the drunk tank?

Anyone sitting with the girl I was with, or the others sitting around us who were really sick would have been heartbroken. At one point the queue had to be restarted because one of the substance abusers had run out of the place and a number of staff had to follow to bring her back in order that she could be fitted back into the queue. I cannot begin to describe the hurt felt by the people sitting around me. We really have to tackle the issue of substance abuse. There is not a family in the country that does not have somebody suffering from substance abuse. We have to tackle the problem. They are crowding emergency departments throughout the country. I have had the misfortune, owing to heart problems, to attend the emergency department at St. Vincent's University Hospital on several occasions and each time the place was full to the rafters. It is desperate.

I ask everyone in the House to join me in condemning those who are cutting down posters belonging to candidates running in local and national elections. The posters cost a lot of money and anyone who acts in such a way is committing a vicious act.

First, I second-----

I second Senator Humphreys'-----

The Senator need not bother. I second Senator Humphreys' proposed amendment to the Order of Business.

I was not going to speak, but since the question of hospitals was raised, I will say that yesterday I was in St. Vincent's University Hospital and looking at the notices. Last year some 19,000 people failed to turn up for appointments, at a cost to the hospital of €1.5 million. We hear much squawking from the consumers of health services.

However, I would like to say it is a very fine service but it is not well served by citizens in every hospital in the State routinely failing to turn up for appointments, particularly when, as in the case of St. Vincent's hospital, a text message is sent to remind the person of his or her appointment.