Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

This is a very emotive issues. There is no doubt that we need to continue to build resilience and strengthen all communities to reduce the incidence of suicide. It is also important to ensure that, where such a tragedy occurs, we have sufficient supports in place to help those who need it. The Deputies are right to say that we need to have the supports in place before a tragedy occurs.

Deputy Ó Snodaigh referred to SPACE in Ballyfermot. It includes representatives from the HSE resource office, HSE adult mental health services and HSE addiction services. The rest of the members are drawn from Tusla, the local authority and local area partnership and community services in Ballyfermot, so we do have the whole community coming together.

The Deputy touched on the point that the purpose of the new Sharing the Vision policy is that it is cross-departmental. Mental health does not stop with the Department of Health. A person's mental health can be affected if he or she has issues with housing, employment or earnings and whether that person has enough money to pay the mortgage. For that reason, it is so important that Sharing the Vision is cross departmental. I recently asked Mr. John Saunders of the Mental Health Commission to chair the national implementation and monitoring committee. I am delighted to say that all the various Departments with responsibility for housing, transport and social protection will be members of the committee. It is very important that we do have a cross-departmental approach.

I referred to the €15,000 that has been given by HSE mental health to develop a training programme to support young women's resilience and mental health. It will be tendered and run as an initial pilot in 2021. A significant recommendation in the research is to communicate the work of SPACE to Ballyfermot residents and to develop a community leadership programme within the Ballyfermot area. I know the community has been devastated by the suicides and I am happy to work with both Deputies on the issue.

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