Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Jigsaw in Clondalkin offers a free and confidential mental health support service for people in Clondalkin, Lucan, Newcastle and the surrounding areas in Dublin Mid-West. The service, with which I am personally familiar, was born out of necessity following a spate of youth suicides, not least in north Clondalkin. I have been accused in the past of taking the issue personally, which I do. Many of the young people who have died were children of friends and neighbours of mine. One such person, to whom I spoke on the phone before I came to the Chamber, is Susan Doyle, whose son, Robert, passed away by suicide. Susan reiterated to me her belief that her son, Robert, would still be alive today if a service such as Jigsaw had been available to him when he needed it most. If there is another youth suicide in Clondalkin or Lucan after the service is removed from the area, we will be left to ask ourselves whether the person would still be alive if Jigsaw had maintained the level of service it now has. The decision is a direct attack on the young people of Clondalkin. I urge the Minister of State, Deputy Daly, in the strongest way possible, to intervene.

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