Dan Neville (Limerick, Fine Gael)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise the important issue of the appointment of a director to the National Office for Suicide Prevention following the retirement in October of Mr. Geoff Day, who was appointed to the post in 2005. I am concerned that in five months no replacement has been appointed. I wish to recognise the service of the acting director, Catherine Brogan, who is also the national planning specialist for mental health.

However, a full appointment is urgent, not least because of a 25% increase in suicide levels in the past two years. The latest statistics for 2012 show 486 people died from suicide with 127 non-determined deaths. It is internationally recognised that it is more accurate to include non-determined deaths as suicide which, if applied to the 2010 figures, mean more than 600 people died from suicide. For comparison purposes, 185 people died in road accidents. The success of the Road Safety Authority should be a template for how to tackle the issue of suicide.

On numerous occasions over the past 12 months, I called for an increase in the budget for the National Office for Suicide Prevention. I sincerely welcome the 2012 increase from €4.7 million to €7.7 million, the extra €3 million coming from the €35 million allocated to the implementation budget for A Vision for Change. With such a substantial increase to the office's budget, it is important a director is appointed to apply this investment to ensure there is a planned and detailed programme with clear targets and objectives to reduce suicide and related issues. The programme for implementation must also have checks and balances to deal with other areas such as parasuicide. Last year, 9,630 people attended accident and emergency departments due to parasuicide. Conservative estimates put the figure for attempted suicide or self-harm between 60,000 and 70,000 last year.

The person appointed to the directorship should have a clear knowledge and understanding of the areas of suicide, international and national research such as that of the National Suicide Research Foundation in Cork, the prevention of suicide and bereavement of suicide support. It is also important the director has a role outside the Health Service Executive, HSE. Societal factors and others apply to the whole area of suicide prevention. There must be an understanding on the part of the director about the involvement of organisations and other Departments, apart from the mental health section of the Department of Health, such as the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, in suicide prevention. The director must not have an approach that confines the office to the HSE where it is stationed but one that includes broader societal agencies in suicide prevention. These broader societal factors are mirrored in the office's implementation programme. It is absolutely urgent a director is appointed to organise, implement and execute that programme.

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