Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)

This sets the tone for the continued neglect by the Government of its commitment to the implementation of the recommendations of Reach Out: A National Strategy for Action on Suicide Prevention. The strategy was published in 2005 and was endorsed by the Taoiseach, Deputy Bertie Ahern, and his Government.

The strategy sought "to deliver on a partnership basis a national training programme for volunteers and staff of voluntary and community groups involved in mental health promotion and suicide prevention". Investment in suicide research and prevention is a continuing disgrace that borders on political immorality. The skills-based community training initiative known as ASIST, which stands for applied suicide intervention skills training, is a two-day skill based workshop that helps prepare individuals of all backgrounds to provide emergency aid and make life-assisting interventions for persons at risk of suicide. The aim of the programme is to enhance the ability to promote the immediate safety of a person at risk of suicide and provide links to further help. Training has been offered to multi-disciplinary and multi-agency personnel throughout the State by suicide resource officers. ASIST prepares care givers of all kinds to provide suicide first aid intervention. Professional volunteers and informal helpers need to know how to help a person with thoughts of suicide in a way that increases suicide safety and to discontinue many such programmes is unacceptable. The Minister should be ashamed of closing these workshops as a cost cutting measure.

The ASIST programme trains the intervention care giver to identify people who have thoughts of suicide, understand how their beliefs and attitudes can affect suicide interventions, seek a shared understanding of the reasons for thoughts of suicide and reasons for living, review the current risk and development plan to increase safety from suicidal behaviour for an agreed amount of time and follow up on all safety commitments while assessing the further help needed.

The people who usually attend these programmes are the bereaved of suicide victims, teachers, parents, gardaí, citizens' information personnel, addiction counsellors and representatives of sporting organisations such as the Gaelic Athletic Association, GAA, Irish Rugby Football Union, IRFU, and Football Association of Ireland, FAI, as well as other organisations. The programmes are also attended by members of the public interested in playing a role in reducing suicide. Up to 40 of these programmes have been cancelled and the preparation work of suicide resource officers over the summer has been frustrated. Some suicide resource officers have been able to obtain community halls free of charge but they are often unsuitable as no facilities are available for people on an intensive two-day course that covers a very delicate subject.

People who volunteer to play a role in reducing suicide should be treated decently and have the chance to obtain a meal or tea, coffee and refreshments. It is very disturbing that when people become upset, as they do when addressing this delicate issue, there is no place in a cold hall to comfort them or offer a cup of coffee. This is no way to treat the trainers who introduce the ASIST programme or the volunteers that seek to reduce suicide in their communities.

To abandon these programmes and force the situation as the Minister of State has done in one of his first acts is a disgrace. The Minister of State should revisit this matter.

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