Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)

I share many of the sentiments expressed by Deputy Harris. He is correct in saying that in the past a major stigma has been attached to mental health issues in this country and where better to address that than in our education system. In making our children more environmentally aware we have succeeded in making them the environmental wardens or lieutenants of our country through the green schools programme. We could achieve something similar in reducing the stigma associated with mental health problems.

The resource programme introduced in October 2010 entitled Working Things Out through SPHE was launched to support teachers in the delivery of the mental health promotion dimension of the SPHE programme. It demonstrates case studies of young people who have successfully managed a variety of difficulties, including bullying, bereavement, depression, easing problems, obsessive compulsive disorder and feelings of anger, fear and anxiety. Our response is beginning to happen, although I agree with Deputy Harris that one could never argue we have a perfect system in place.

It is always important to look abroad to best practice in other jurisdictions. I will undertake to work with my officials and if the Deputy submits more detail of the Scottish programme I could undertake to consider it. He is correct to point out that we need to, as he described it, knit this sort of provision across the whole school programme.

In this country we are providing literacy solutions to resolve literacy problems among our adult learners by incorporating literacy solutions into all of the further education provisions across a number of different courses and training provisions. We need to engender a cultural change which will bring the issue of mental health and the stigma associated with it in the past to the fore. If Deputy Harris wants to liaise directly with me, we could examine best practice abroad and determine how we can incorporate some aspects into a provision in the future.

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