Paudge Connolly (Cavan-Monaghan, Independent)

I propose to share time with Deputies Finian McGrath, Gogarty, Ferris and Cowley.

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this grave subject. Suicide is a major issue which affects all strata of society, irrespective of class. It particularly affects young males, among whom the rate of suicide is very high.

Suicide was a taboo subject at one time that was not discussed openly in any forum. Now, however, people are not afraid to use the word "suicide" and to call it what it is. People have seen that it is a tragedy and are prepared to speak openly about it. This has been evident at various seminars, one of which was held at Dromahair in County Leitrim. There was a large attendance at that event which was due to finish at 5 p.m. but continued until 7 p.m. In County Monaghan the vocational education committee and the Health Service Executive joined forces to host seminars at the Hillgrove Hotel in Monaghan town and the Nuremore Hotel, Carrickmacross. Both seminars were well attended with a high level of audience participation. People were looking for answers and action to be taken. People are afraid, particularly those who have lost loved ones or who fear that they might lose them.

In the context of possible solutions, a German model was put forward. A prevention programme was piloted in Nürnberg over a two-year period which resulted in a 26% reduction in suicide and self-harm. In Würzberg, where the programme was not piloted, there was a 24% increase in suicide and self-harm in the same period. The German programme will be piloted in Cork and Kerry and consists of four strands: liaising with general practitioners and organising GP workshops; targeting people who have engaged in self-harm, as it has been shown that such people are at a greater risk of committing suicide; targeting key professionals such as social workers and priests; and targeting the media, running advertising campaigns in cinemas and so forth.

If that pilot programme worked in Germany, there is no reason we should pilot it again to determine if it works here. I urge the Government to expand the scheme on an all-Ireland basis. It will save lives, is sensible and contains nothing harmful. The current situation is that we are adopting the German models and re-testing them to see if they are worthy of their reputation. I call on the Government to implement the prevention programme nationally.

References have been made to budgets. There must be some form of direct correlation between the reduction in the mental health budget and the increase in suicide. The mental health budget has decreased from 11% to 7% of total health spending, which is reflected in the level of resources locally. There are simply not enough resources to meet demand and money should be invested in the pilot project to which I have referred.

In every case of suicide, a full audit should be performed. All the circumstances of the case should be examined. We must determine if the person was in contact with the mental health services, whether the services responded, how well and whether they failed the individual. We also need to ask if the person confided in a friend or loved one and, if so, whether the confidant was equipped to deal with the situation.

Sometimes people do not know where to go for help. If one rings the Department of Health and Children, the response one receives is not good. I would like to think that the quality of response would improve. We also need to examine whether there was a trigger factor in the suicide, whether there were clusters of suicides in an area and the age profile of the deceased. If we get a better and fuller understanding of suicide and those most likely to take their lives, we will have a better quality of response and will be better equipped to deal with the problem.

We should review suicide figures monthly because this will make it more likely that someone will have to answer questions. Annual reviews are inadequate. It is 2005 and we are analysing the suicide figures for 2003. That is not good enough. Another issue is bed shortages. I called for media coverage of this debate, not to name people but to keep the issue alive.

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