Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Like Deputy Nolan, I wish the Minister of State well in her work in this vital and important area. I will ask the Minister of State a number of questions. Deputy Butler will not have time to reply but she might write to me.

The first is about the current stage of the Crisis House in Clonmel, a commencement date for that house and where it is at, and also about the Jigsaw roll-out in Tipperary. Is the headquarters of the latter in Thurles procured and is it being fitted out and ready to start? When will we have a start date? How many outreach hubs will we have in towns such as Clonmel, Carrick-on-Suir, Tipperary town in the south of the county and, indeed, Killenaule and Ballingarry and up into Nenagh and the rural area up in Roscrea as well? It was never more badly needed.

Members are talking about a tsunami coming down the line. We are in the tsunami. It is here. We are immersed in it, from the cradle to the grave but really among young people of school age, particularly secondary school, those doing the leaving certificate this year who were in fifth year last year and students going back to college or trying to go back or trying to start next year. There are huge issues. There is huge angst. They cannot do what they normally do. Young people need to live their lives and they cannot.

The older people are locked away cocooning and the relentless news and figures from RTÉ is frightening. Deputy MacSharry's figures were telling. That is happening everywhere. We have far more people dying by their own hands, sadly, in suicide, than have died that I know of with the virus. Where anybody dies with the virus or gets seriously ill - I had a constituent on to me this morning - it is a horrible situation. The family cannot grieve properly and they cannot have a proper funeral or send-off, or be with their loved ones. It is awful, but we must look at the knock-on consequences with people with mental health issues.

I salute Ms Trudi Lalor, a Laois girl now living in Tipperary. A renowned singer, Ms Lalor has a new scheme for country music, Reaching Out, where she is getting loved artists connected with patrons of theirs who really like them. It has been a great success. I thank Tipp FM as well for supporting it. It is a case of anything we can do.

I support Community Suicide Awareness Workers, C-SAW, in Clonmel, and Mr. Joe Leahy and Ms May Walsh there, and others, and the volunteers and the work they do. I was disappointed last week to read about the high salaries of the chief executives in charitable companies. That is not where we want to be. We all go out and support those walks etc. such as Darkness into Light, but when I see this, it is not necessary. Greed is everywhere.

What we want now is help and support for our people as a nation. We need to have more funding put into mental health. Our spending is only at 5% and 6% where other European countries are at 12%. Yesterday a €400 million budget that we did not spend last year was allowed be held onto this year. It is shocking to see the neglect in mental health and people cannot spend the money that is needed.

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