Children studying for Junior and Leaving Certificate examinations are being prescribed sleeping tablets to deal with stress, the chairman of the Dáil health committee has said.
"This shocking revelation concerns me and I believe a public and open debate on the matter is needed to ascertain the extent of this worrying practice," said Fianna Fáil's Mr Batt O'Keeffe.
"A crackdown on irresponsible prescribing by GPs is needed, and tougher regulation must be introduced," he said.
The European Commission, he said, had recently claimed that Ireland has the highest use of tranquillisers and sleeping tablets per head of population in the EU.
Ms Barbara Johnston of the Catholic Secondary Schools Parents Associations (CSPA) expressed disappointment at the remarks, saying it "impugns the integrity not only of GPs but also of parents". She said there were now more students "suffering from depression and self-mutilation", growing aggression levels and more dependency on alcohol than ever before.
Instead of calling GPs irresponsible, she said Mr O'Keeffe should call for a public debate about the education system.
Mr O'Keeffe last night said he was not questioning the integrity of either parents or GPs.