Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Deputy for her question and for raising the issue of mental health supports for the Travelling community. It is great to hear it being raised on the floor of the Dáil. I have worked very closely with the Travelling community, including visiting Pavee Point on many occasions. We also fund Exchange House in Dublin, specifically in relation to suicide prevention. I am pleased to say that we have seen the suicide numbers trending downwards. The preliminary figures we received for 2023 indicate that the numbers are down 25% on the previous 20 years, to 302. That said, it is still 302 too many. This year I have supported community workers in relation to mental health across the entire Travelling community. We also have suicide bereavement supports in place across the country. There is a huge amount more to do and I am happy to engage with Deputy Ní Raghallaigh on it.

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