Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to address this matter with the Minister of State. I acknowledge he is concerned about suicide and self-harm. He takes a personal interest in these matters. They are all too common across the State. Statistics show that, last year alone, there was an average of one suicide per day in the State. This means one life too many was lost per day.

Save Our Sons and Daughters, SOSAD, Ireland, which has six branches across the State, provides a valuable service and does so at a time when people need it. The organisation provides the service to people who are very vulnerable. It is an important service that is easily accessed by people. SOSAD Ireland has been in existence for over 11 years. The Tullamore office has been in place for five years. The six branches do not receive HSE funding. An average of 60 people per week attend the service in Tullamore. The service is provided voluntarily. This week, 15 hours of voluntary counselling will be provided in Tullamore by accredited councillors. This is important. The councillors do not charge for the service and depend on contributions and fundraising to keep it going. The Minister of State will appreciate the difficulty. No matter what little service one runs, once one rents any premises at all and opens the front door, one faces costs of a couple of thousand euro per month.

Medics and other professionals are referring people to SOSAD. The referrals show that the service has a value. Attendees are not just from County Offaly but also from across the midlands. The Tullamore office will not be open after Christmas, however. It may not last until Christmas. It has sought HSE funding. SOSAD Ireland, the overarching body, has sought funding in the past from the HSE. It has been unsuccessful.

We know from the domestic violence groups and various other agencies providing valuable services in all our communities that they cannot rely solely on voluntary fundraising efforts. They need a core of funding to be able to provide their services. This State and all public representatives, at local and national levels, have seen money being spent. Sometimes we get a good return and sometimes we get a very poor return. Hand on heart, I would not have submitted this matter for discussion if I did not believe the service is providing value for money. If it saves one life, it will be worth it. The service could save a number of lives. Countless examples have been recounted to me, even in recent weeks, of clients with whom the service has dealt. I was told how the service has intervened and how people have received counselling and a sympathetic ear, and how they were referred to other services. In the approach to the budget, there will be a huge number of demands. Even those of us on this side of the House, Opposition Deputies, realise there is considerable lobbying and competition for funding. We are interested in mental health, and I know the Minister of State is also. He knows my party is genuine about this. Others in this House are also genuine about it. It is an issue that we need to deal with and help out with. I hope we can do something to put some little package of funding in place for the organisation in question.

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