Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As I was saying, I wish the Minister of State all the best. She has a significant challenge. Over the years, it has always been more difficult for mental health services to get the money than it has been for some of the more high-profile acute services. We will give her every support we can in trying to get this money. As we are coming up to the budget, it is important that we are discussing this today. We could say much more, but we do not have the time. We should keep in mind that more than twice as many people commit suicide in this country as die in road accidents. We know how we rightly invest in road safety. We need to realise that this problem is there. The numbers have reduced but there is a long way to go.

Approximately 70% or 80% of suicides are male, but more females self-harm than males. We need to look at the holistic side of society and ask if we are putting unnecessary pressure on people. Every year I am appalled at the amount of pressure on leaving certificate students. We need to find a better way. We are a "cure" society and we may not give the same attention to things needing long-term care where there is no magic fixed finite cure as the world would see it. We need to recognise that in some cases, people with mental health issues need ongoing support which needs to be funded. The issue of waiting lists for child and adolescent mental health services needs to be tackled urgently.

I will speak briefly about older people. We need to look at the hierarchy. People should be where they want to be. If they want to be at home, they should be supported at home. If they want to be in sheltered housing they should be in sheltered housing and unless they choose to go to a nursing home, the nursing home should be the least favoured option for the State for many reasons that have become apparent. I put one major challenge to the Minister of State, which is that she bring in statutory home care. I know they will tell her it will take forever drafting Bills and whatever. I would rather a flawed Bill than no Bill. We can always amend and improve Bills as time goes on. We need statutory home care. The Minister of State will find that the time will go very fast in the job she has and the process can be very slow. She should publish and be damned. We can improve it in the House, but we need to see it introduced in the term of this Minister of State.

There has been considerable talk of older people. People thought it was a rule - we found out in the end it was not - that the over 70s could not leave their homes. I think that was wrong on balance. We now know that going out in the fresh air was low risk. The mental health risks of staying home all the time, totally isolated, were considerably greater. There are plenty of safe places to exercise and walk. We need to listen to what older people say. As one who is more chronologically challenged than most in this House, I think we should stop being maternalistic or paternalistic towards older people. People who are chronologically advanced in years - Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh is the ultimate example - are well able to make their own decisions.

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