Dan Neville (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the opportunity to raise the recently published report, Connecting for Life: Ireland's National Strategy to Reduce Suicide 2015-2020. It is an important report, widely accepted nationally and internationally and warmly welcomed by the head of the mental health services in the World Health Organization at the launch by the Taoiseach in Dublin.

For a number of years, we have discussed the difficulties experienced by the State in determining the levels of suicide. The most recent statistics for 2014 show that 459 persons - 368 males and 91 females - took their own lives, but undetermined deaths numbered 62. In Northern Ireland and Britain and in Europe, undetermined deaths are counted as suicide. There is a reluctance among some coroners to bring in a verdict of suicide because of the stigma and the difficulties experienced and felt still by some families, even though there have been many efforts made to reduce the stigma around suicide. Of course, there are some suicides, such as single-occupant road traffic accidents, which cannot be identified. We would not want to exaggerate the numbers either - I have heard very exaggerated numbers in that regard - but international research in an Irish context would put it at between eight and 15. There are also drownings that cannot be identified and other tragedies that are seen as accidents but, in fact, are suicide.

Compare the 459 suicides last year with the number of road traffic deaths, which is unfortunately on the increase at 196. Our suicide levels are a little below the European average, but our rate of youth suicide is the fourth highest in Europe after Lithuania, Estonia and Finland. We have a particular problem in this regard.

The question that is always asked is why did someone take his or her life. Many studies have been done on this complex matter and we want a simple answer, but there is no simple answer to most suicides.

Addressing suicidal behaviour means supporting people in many different ways and requires a co-ordinated effort across many different sectors and levels of society. Connecting for Life is designed to coordinate and focus the efforts of a broad range of government departments, state agencies, non-statutory organisations and local communities in suicide prevention.

Usually no single cause or risk factor is sufficient to explain a suicidal act. Most commonly, several risk factors act cumulatively to increase an individual's vulnerability to suicidal behaviour, and risk factors interplay in different ways for different populations, groups and individuals.

In Ireland [and internationally], one in four people will use a mental health service at some stage of their lives. Research shows a strong link between mental health difficulties and death by suicide. In high-income countries, mental health problems are present in up to 90% of people who die by suicide.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Neville for raising this issue. I am taking this Topical Issue debate on behalf of my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, who is abroad on Government business.

We are all too aware that a death by suicide does not just affect family and close friends, but a community as a whole. The sometimes unanswerable questions of why, if only and what if reverberate around the community. It is at that time that those dealing with a death by suicide need to find support to make sense of what has happened, deal with their grief and learn how to live with their loss.

Sadly, too many lives in this country are lost to suicide. While we will never eliminate it completely, we should make every effort to reduce the number of lives lost by ensuring that there is a co-ordinated partnership of a broad range of Departments, State agencies, non-statutory organisations and, perhaps most importantly, local communities in tackling this issue.

Dealing with the current high levels of suicide and deliberate self-harm has been, and continues to be, a priority for the Government. As the House will be aware, the previous suicide prevention strategy, Reach Out, came to the end of its ten-year term at the end of 2014. The Minister of State requested the Department of Health and the HSE to develop a new strategic framework for suicide prevention, building on the work and achievements of Reach Out. The new strategy, Connecting for Life, which was launched by An Taoiseach and the Minister of State on 24 June, sets out a vision of an Ireland where fewer lives are lost through suicide and where communities and individuals are empowered to improve their mental health and well being through a number of specific goals, including a better understanding of suicidal behaviour, supporting communities to prevent and respond to suicidal behaviour, safe and high-quality services and improved access, consistency and integration of services.

Connecting for Life is much more than a vision. It provides a detailed and clear plan to achieve each of the goals it proposes, with defined actions and a lead agency and key partners in place for each individual objective. This action plan will be supported by robust implementation and governance structures and resourcing and communications frameworks. Monitoring and evaluation will be embedded into the implementation process, progress will be tracked and the impact of the strategy will be objectively measured against baseline indicators. The agreed implementation structure sets out clear lines of responses and accountability at all levels: political, administrative and local. The National Office for Suicide Prevention, NOSP's role and authority to support the implementation of the strategy is clearly set out.

Suicide is a complex problem and addressing suicidal behaviour means supporting people in many different ways. It also requires a co-ordinated effort across many different sectors and levels of society, for example, service providers, communities, families and friends. Connecting for Life places a significant value on partnerships and is designed to co-ordinate and focus the efforts of a broad range of Departments, State agencies, non-statutory organisations and local communities in suicide prevention. It is the Government's hope that the implementation of this new strategy will help us to achieve our goal of fewer lives lost through suicide.

Dan Neville (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for his reply. I also thank him and the Minister of State for their investment in developing mental health resources. I congratulate and recognise the work of the NOSP under Mr. Gerry Raleigh, who has done a good job. I commend the Government on increasing the amount of money that is given to the NOSP from €4.3 million to €8.7 million.

I wish to ask about the report and Reach Out. The department of economics at NUI Galway calculated the cost of suicide to the State in 2001 as being €906 million. Reach Out included a special section on the economic cost of suicide. Perhaps we could determine today's figure. In this country, economics often talk as much as, or more than, other factors that we might hope would be given more attention.

It is important that we invest in services to those bereaved by suicide. They are a special group and face special difficulties.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I have not interrogated those figures, but I do not doubt that there is a considerable economic cost to suicide, not least through lost productivity. Unfortunately, there is no way of capturing that amount or levying people who did not commit suicide so as to generate revenue. While the cost is real, there is no way of capturing and spending it, which I am sure the Deputy understands. However, it is appreciated that funding for the office has doubled under this Government and that further investment will be needed in the coming years in order to implement the strategy, subject to budgets. As the Minister of State pointed out, it is not all about money, but other factors as well. I agree with Deputy Neville that it is important to provide bereavement counselling and other bereavement services for the families affected.