Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and agree with him on the huge tragedy suicide presents for families, loved ones and friends of those who take their own lives. I also agree that the level of suicide in Ireland is very disturbing. It is something Deputy Dan Neville, in particular, has been highlighting for quite some time. It is also an issue about which the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, is particularly concerned. In that context, the Government decided to allocate a specific budget of €35 million for mental health services in order to address the issue of suicide. However, it is not really a question of putting in place an authority or an office. Suicide is a problem that is not solvable simply by putting in place a State office or body to deal with the issue. Instead, what we must do, through the health service and more widely in society, is address the causes of suicide. We must ensure there are interventions at a personal level for people who are at risk. Sometimes, though, it is not very obvious or clear that someone is suicidal. We have all come across cases of suicide in which the people who took their own lives were the last people we would have expected to do so. Very often we do not know what is going on or what is troubling people in their lives. Suicide is a priority issue for the Minister of State who I am sure would be very happy to discuss in detail with the Deputy the measures she is taking to address it.

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