Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I remind the House that not too long ago Fianna Fáil voted against the provision of €37.5 million in funding.

I wish to ask the Taoiseach about the commitment in the programme for Government to improve the uniformity, effectiveness and timelines of support services to families and communities bereaved by suicide. Last week, UNICEF published a damning international report on child well-being, which revealed that the teenage suicide rate in this State is the fourth highest in the EU and OECD region. It also found that we had an above-average international suicide rate of 10.3 per 100,000 of population in the 15 to 19 years age group between 2008 and 2013. It is also a fact that youth mental health staff numbers are at half the recommended HSE level. That is a shocking indictment of the failure of successive Governments to tackle suicide, especially among young people. Clearly, the Government is not meeting its programme for Government commitments. Will the Taoiseach now commit to the provision of fully-staffed and adequately-funded mental health services? Will the Government ensure there is a significant increase in mental health funding in budget 2018 when it is published during the recess?

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