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

We talk very fast in Cork. I have a question on age appropriate mental well-being classes in schools. We recently published a suicide training and prevention Bill. That was a small move but incoming public sector workers will get a minimum of a programme like SafeTALK, which will give them the coping skills to spot the signs. Would it be an advantage for that to be rolled out to schools? In that way, somebody who is working with children or with the public will have the skills to spot people who are in trouble. I know that is only one part of a bigger issue but as Mr. Saunders said, like the football team, if we do not have all the ingredients we will not be able to make the cake. This would be the first step to giving the people who are dealing with this area directly, namely, teachers, gardaí and Government officials, the coping skills to spot the signs and help people when they are in difficulty. In that way we would be nipping the issue in the bud and being proactive instead of being reactive in the future. Do the witnesses believe that would be a good idea? It is a simple question.