Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Dr. McDaid for her work. It has been amazing reading about what the group has achieved over the years. It has been extremely beneficial.

I will only make a few points as Deputies have made similar points. I was struck by the cuts made to the budget for resource centres. Dr. McDaid mentioned repeatedly that prevention is better than cure and that if we do not nip it in the bud, we will set off on the wrong foot. Recently I read a report compiled by the Northern Ireland Forum. It provided startling figures that from 2001 to 2015, there were 7,431 reported deaths by suicide in the South and that 4,177 people since 1988 in the North have lost their lives due to suffering a mental illness. As many speakers have said already, we have raised the issues in the Dáil. There is a genuine consensus here that something has to be done and fast.

Counselling sessions have been mentioned. Eight sessions may work for some people but others may require 20 sessions. Also, the people who are above the qualifying threshold and, therefore, do not qualify for a medical card lose out with this system. People under the age of 18 years do not have a chance to access the measure. All of this bring us back to the primary care model and prevention.

Education is one of the most important aspects that has been raised here. We must give people coping skills from an early age to deal with the pressures that they will meet throughout life. All of us have listened intently and learned a great deal here. The facts and figures are worrying as they highlight what does not happen on the ground. We, as a society, are stuck at the cure stage but we should be working on prevention. Approximately ten years ago the World Health Organization conducted a study on how much a person who leaves schools at 18 years and joins the workforce contributes to society in taxes. I believe a person's life should be valued properly. That might sound strange but such a figure would highlight how much society loses when a young person dies compared with his or her lifelong contribution to society, thus showing it is a win-win situation. I am sorry for being a bit long winded.