Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Bill. We were surprised to see this Bill before us because we had a long and comprehensive debate on the 2004 Act, especially on Committee Stage. One would have expected this issue to arise in the course of that debate. This shows that even when legislation is well debated issues can subsequently arise, which leads to concern about what can occur when legislation is not sufficiently debated.

The Minister of State, Deputy Tim O'Malley, spoke of the significant investment to be made in bringing genealogical research facilities up to modern standards and said discussions were under way with the OPW with a view to procuring premises in this regard. I am surprised matters are not more advanced because during the course of the 2004 debate a great deal of interest was expressed in having a facility available for research. Interest in this area has grown throughout the world. Perhaps the Minister of State would give an indication in his reply as to when it is expected to have this service available. The impression I got from what he said earlier is that it would not be available before the end of the year.

The Minister of State is probably aware that much disappointment has been expressed over the closure of the research facility in the Granary in Limerick. I am aware that discussions are currently taking place in connection with the move of that facility to the Irish Palatine Centre in Rathkeale. The Irish Palatine Association is very happy to assist this move in every way and to recommence that service, which is now a computerised information service. The information is readily available and has been well researched by the people in Shannon Development. It is unfortunate that the facility has not been available in the past 12 months, despite all the work that went into researching the information and putting it together over many years with significant State investment.

If the Minister has an opportunity, I would urge him to raise the matter with the relevant bodies in Shannon Development to support the discussions taking place between the Irish Palatine Association in Rathkeale and Shannon Development with a view to re-opening that facility. I recently spoke to one of the new Members, Deputy Catherine Murphy, who was very disappointed that the service was not available to her because her grandmother was from Limerick and she wanted to trace the family. The service was highly valued by many people. From time to time, public representatives were delighted to refer visitors to the centre who had family going back generations in the area.

In a similar vein to Deputy Gormley, I wish to outline my disappointment in regard to the Health Service Executive. I tabled a parliamentary question on 10 May requesting information on moneys being spent on suicide prevention. As the Minister of State is probably aware, I do this every year and he always replies to me within four days. I was informed on 10 May that the information would now be supplied by the HSE, that it was no longer in the domain of the Minister, and that the Minister would ask the HSE to convey that information to me but I have not yet received it. I raised the matter with the Minister of State, Deputy Seán Power, who agreed to raise the matter with the HSE but I still have not received any information. I do not understand this because since I came to the Dáil, the Minister for Health and Children or, since his appointment, the Minister of State, Deputy Tim O'Malley, gave me that information in four days.

Why, seven weeks after I tabled the question, have I not received a reply? If I receive it now I will not have an opportunity to address it, by way of an Adjournment matter or otherwise, in the House because it is going into recess today. Would I be unfair in suspecting that the information I seek will become available once the House adjourns for the summer? Given the failure of the Opposition today to secure the reconvening of the Dáil on 13 September, it will not now reconvene until the end of September.

Every May we receive statistics on suicide for the previous year. In May 2004, for example, we received the information pertaining to 2003. Last week, I again tabled a question seeking suicide statistics for 2004, but they are still not available to me. Perhaps this is an issue for the Central Statistics Office but it is obvious that the Minister of State has a great interest in this area as well, as the person responsible for mental health and the psychiatric services. Will the Minister of State tell us why these circumstances have arisen? Given the importance of the information required, I am sure he is asking the Central Statistics Office for statistics on 2004, not only in respect of the national suicide level but also levels of suicide by county, Health Service Executive region, gender and age. This information is vital to informing national discussion on the relevant issues between the five or six bodies involved in this area, including the Irish Association of Suicidology, the National Suicide Review Group and Turning the Tide of Suicide. I will await the Minister of State's reply rather than speculate on why the information would be withheld.

The Opposition is disappointed that the Department of Health and Children, or the Department of Finance, is providing only €15 million for the development of the psychiatric services.

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