John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

It is very important that we discuss this topic at length in the House. We have spoken about it in committees, but this is the first time we have done so in the Chamber. At a time of unprecedented economic growth and prosperity, why is there an increase in suicide? There are several answers to the question. If one reads the report, one can get an indication of that. Going back 100 years, Durkheim stated that many suicides occur when the attachments between an individual and society are strained and fragmented. We have an economic system and parties, such as that of the Minister of State, which advocate a certain economic orthodoxy that places the emphasis on the individual as opposed to society. Margaret Thatcher once famously said that there is no such thing as society, only the individual. That is very dangerous and we can see the consequences of that kind of thinking.

So much of life has now become a commodity. The rearing of children, child care and looking after older people are now commodities. People are paid to do things and the idea of volunteerism is now gone. The extended family is gone and the type of society that we now have is based on capitalism and the market. We can call it an industrialised society or a consumer society, but it amounts to the same thing; the individual seems to be under enormous pressure. That has led to an increase in suicide, despair, depression and alienation from society as the individual sees it.

One of the ways we allow the market a free reign in this country is in regard to alcohol. It is now possible to buy alcohol in a local supermarket as it is freely available. I was listening to an interview being conducted with women who were in Killarney for a hen weekend. They consumed shots which allow the same amount of alcohol into the system in two seconds as that of a pint over a longer period of time. People are under real pressure to go out and binge drink as they are so busy with their lives.

The Government had the opportunity to introduce the alcohol products Bill and we know that alcohol is related to suicide, but the Government funked it. It shelved the Bill and it caved in to the alcohol industry. If the problem of suicide is to be tackled, a little bit of joined-up thinking is needed and the alcohol products Bill should be put back under promised legislation. Let us get at the root causes of this problem.

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