Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the opportunity to raise the issue but, with all due respect to the Minister of State, I am very surprised the Minister for Health and Children or the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Deputy Devins, are not present. However, I can understand this in the context of their disinterest towards the issue I am raising. More than 500 people die by suicide annually. In 2005, Reach Out, the national strategy for action on suicide prevention, was published and it made more than 90 recommendations which have been practically ignored. The National Office for Suicide Prevention, NOSP, was established but it only has a budget of €3.5 million annually, which means it can continue with its current work but it cannot develop its service during 2008.

I ask the Minister of State not to say €8 million is being spent on suicide prevention. I refer only to the investment on the strategy for suicide prevention published in 2005. In 1998 the national task force on suicide reported with recommendations and approximately £4 million was spent on that but the Government has rowed back on this as well. One of the key recommendations of that report was the appointment of suicide resource officers but their budget has been cut back. Suicide resource officers were available in 11 areas but three of them are not being retained and, therefore, the number available has reduced to eight.

Last year, the budget for the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training, ASIST, programme for volunteers in suicide prevention was also reduced. The Minister of State, Deputy Devins, cancelled eight training courses under the programme because he would not pay for hotel accommodation. The Government, therefore, reduced the funding for those who wanted to be involved in suicide prevention and who were anxious to obtain intervention skills in suicide prevention. ASIST funding will reduce further this year because the co-ordinators of the two-day courses provided under the programme are the suicide resource officers. However, three of them are not being reappointed in key areas because of the cutbacks and the Government's decision.

The Taoiseach in 2005 stated:

At Government level, a task force will be established with representatives of relevant Government Departments to advise on and provide support in overcoming any barriers encountered in implementing the strategy. Additional funding allocations will be made available for the coming years to support the strategy and to complement local and national efforts.

However, the Government is rowing back on this commitment. I compliment the suicide prevention office on the work it is trying to do but it is being frustrated by a lack of funding.

A sum of €3.5 million is allocated to the NOSP while last year there were 500 deaths by suicide. The Road Safety Authority receives an inadequate allocation of €44.3 million and 338 road fatalities occurred last year. Why the difference in the Government's approach to the prevention of suicide and road safety, which is given 15 times the allocation? Why does the Government ignore the issue of suicide?

Máire Hoctor (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
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I am taking the debate on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children. I assure the Deputy that the Government is fully committed to the implementation of suicide prevention initiatives and the further development of services to prevent and reduce further tragic loss of life.

Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)
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It is not.

Máire Hoctor (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
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We should be encouraged by the progress to date in suicide prevention, in particular the launch of two important strategy documents: Reach Out — A National Strategy for Action on Suicide Prevention 2005-2014, which was launched in September 2005, and A Vision for Change, the report of the expert group on mental health policy, published in January 2006. Since the establishment of the HSE's NOSP in 2005, which is responsible for the implementation of Reach Out, additional funding of €3.55 million has been provided for its implementation. This brought the total funding available to support suicide prevention initiatives to €8 million and this level of funding continues into 2008.

Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)
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I asked the Minister of State not to say that.

Máire Hoctor (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
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The NOSP has an annual budget of €4.5 million. Initiatives funded by the office include developing and implementing national training programmes, developing mental health awareness campaigns, implementing recommendations arising from a review of bereavement services and supporting voluntary organisations working in the field of suicide prevention.

A number of other suicide prevention initiatives are also delivered by the HSE for which funding does not come within the suicide prevention office's budget. These include funding for 11 dedicated resource officers and deliberate self-harm response nurses in accident and emergency departments. It should also be emphasised that a range of services such as general psychiatric services and primary care services are important in helping to prevent suicide. These services play a vital role in the drive to reduce the incidence of suicide and should be taken into account when considering the level of expenditure devoted to suicide prevention. A total of €1 billion is spent on mental health services.

A fundamental aim of Reach Out is to prevent suicidal behaviour, including deliberate self-harm and to increase awareness of the importance of good mental health among the general population. A Vision for Change considers mental health as a resource that needs to be promoted and protected. The report views mental health awareness and promotion as relevant to the whole population, regardless of age, social status or either physical health or mental health status. Thankfully the level of discussion and openness on mental health issues, including deliberate self harm and suicide has also increased significantly in recent years. We do, however, need to ensure that public discussion and media coverage of suicide and deliberate self harm remains measured, well informed and sensitive to the needs and well-being of psychologically vulnerable and distressed individuals in our society. In particular, we need to continue to work as a society to create a culture and environment where people in psychological distress feel they can seek help and support from family, friends and health professionals.

Mental health awareness campaigns launched by the NOSP and the National Disability Authority, NDA, in 2007 further highlight the importance of taking care of our mental health and go a long way to helping to remove the stigma that is often associated with mental health issues. These are very welcome developments. Suicide affects all age groups and communities and reducing the present rate of suicide requires a collective, concerted effort from all age groups in society, health and social services, other professionals, communities and community leaders, voluntary and statutory agencies and organisations, parents, friends and neighbours. I assure Deputies of the Government's commitment to ensuring the actions identified in Reach Out are implemented.