Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. It is one I never tire of talking about and it is one in which I have a deep interest. I am glad he has as well. The national office for suicide prevention, NOSP, was established by the HSE in 2005 to implement Reach Out, our national strategy for action on suicide prevention. The national office plays a key role in developing and supporting initiatives related to suicide prevention. Since the launch of Reach Out and the establishment of the office, a significant volume of cross-sectoral work has been undertaken, which has resulted in considerable advances in suicide prevention. Initiatives include the ASIST and Safetalk training programmes; the tough economic times programme; mental health awareness campaigns; supporting voluntary organisations in their work on suicide prevention; and the piloting of a system of suicide crisis assessment nurses working with accident and emergency departments and general practitioners, GPs, which will be rolled out nationally this year. I will explain this to the Deputy, if needs be, when he asks his supplementary questions.

The first director of the national office retired in September 2011 and the position was immediately filled on an acting basis pending the running of an internal competition for the permanent post. The new appointee elected from that competition took up the post in June. Everybody was of the opinion that not alone was the acting director an excellent person, but the person appointed was equally eminently qualified. Unfortunately for the office, that person was soon after selected to play a key role on a new national project and was seconded to the Department of Health in that context on 10 September.

Since that date, the assistant national director for mental health, Mr. Martin Rogan, assumed responsibility for the director's duties. During this time the office has continued to function very effectively. It hosted its major national suicide prevention forum at the Royal Hospital in Kilmainham on 10 September, with over 100 participants from the statutory and voluntary sector. It has also published a detailed annual report for 2011, which was laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas last week. On 27 September, expressions of interest were again sought from general manager level grades and above within the HSE for the permanent position of director of national office for suicide prevention. The closing date for receipt of applications is 10 October and the interview process will be held on 22 October.

Mental health and, in particular, suicide prevention are priorities for the Government. In this regard a special allocation of €35 million for mental health was announced in budget 2012 in line with the programme for Government commitments. Funding from this special allocation will be used primarily to further strengthen community mental health teams in both adult and children's mental health services and to initiate the provision of psychological and counselling services in primary care, specifically for people with mental health problems. From this allocation, an additional €3 million has been made available to the national office for suicide prevention to implement prioritised suicide prevention initiatives, including GP training in suicide prevention, improving access to services for those who self harm, interconnecting existing suicide prevention helplines and expanding the national mental health awareness media campaign to target men aged 35 and over. If the Deputy has any additional questions, I have no difficulty in answering them.

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