Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for giving us time on this serious matter and I thank the Minister of State for attending in spite of her impediment and wish her well in her recovery.

I will not try to score political points. No one should on this. This is a huge tragedy and it brings devastation to our shores. I refer to what I call a near epidemic of suicide.

We never tire of listening to the Road Safety Authority which was set up with a view to reducing deaths on the roads. I always maintain, as do many doctors and others, that many single car accidents compiled in the considerable numbers of road deaths were sadly suicides but it could never be proven. It will take a massive effort, something similar to that of the authority. The devastation of a road accident is something that someone can live with. Any loss of life is horrible, but one can accept an accident. With suicide, as the Taoiseach stated this morning in his reply on Leaders' Questions, any of us who have arrived at the house have heard the family voice the unspeakable questions of whether they should have noticed something, asked a particular question or done something.

The figures for 2011 are frightening. Those for 2012 will be much higher. There is not a community unaffected. In my area, I met a principal school teacher on the street on Friday last and discussed an issue with him. It is truly shocking in the case of young children. It is a near epidemic.

We will have to take action outside of the HSE. The HSE must be involved but - I hate to say this to the Minister of State who is in the HSE - it is not capable of dealing with many issues, as we can see with the junior doctors. This area is too sensitive. It is too serious. While I am not in favour of setting up quangos, we need a body set up that will deal with this across all strata of human life in this country, from the psychiatrists to the ordinary plain people and, of course, the families of victims of suicide, and dealing with cyberbullying right back to bullying. I read a story from County Cork about An Post and bullying in the workplace. As an employer, one is not cognisant. One sets up in business and employs others, but one is not trained in the main to deal with issues of bullying.

It is a massive issue, from school and right throughout life. I appeal to the Minister of State to set up a task force on foot of this report to deal with the matter because it has gone beyond talking about and it is causing devastation in the land.

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