Derek Keating (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I move:

That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to provide for the establishment of a body to be known in the Irish language as an tÚdarás um Chosc ar Fhéinmharú or in the English language as the Suicide Prevention Authority, to define its functions and to provide for connected matters.

I am pleased to have the opportunity to sponsor this Bill and I commend it to the House for its First Reading.

Suicide remains the single greatest preventable cause of death, with upwards of ten people in Ireland dying by suicide every week. If ten people died on our roads every week due to traffic incidents, there would be a national outcry and it would be considered a crisis. The incidence of suicide is at crisis stage and increasing. It is believed that more people are dying by suicide than are accounted for, given the number of single-car accidents and the stigma associated with suicide, which sometimes prevents people from declaring that their loved ones have died by suicide.

More people are affected by suicide despite the wonderful work of the National Office for Suicide Prevention and charities such as 3Ts, Pieta House, of which I was a proud director for six rewarding years, Console and many other organisations that are doing their own thing. They are saving lives every day. If a national suicide prevention authority were established, even with the objective of saving just one life per year, it would be worthwhile. Consider the wonderful achievement of the Road Safety Authority, RSA, in helping to reduce the number of road deaths dramatically every year since its foundation in 2006, although even one life lost on our roads is one too many. A suicide prevention authority should be created.

When flicking through some of the national newspapers this morning, I noticed that a considerable amount of space had been given to the weather conditions. That is understandable. Reference was made to the number of Deputies who tabled Topical Issue matters and Priority Questions on this issue in the Dáil yesterday. That is also understandable, but what would our reaction be if ten people died every week because of the weather? There would be an even greater outcry.

Recently, I read a report of the HSE. It read:

If mental health becomes more of an everyday issue, that matters to us all, then the stigma attached to getting help can be reduced. While Irish society will continue to experience considerable change and face new challenges ahead, a mentally healthier Irish society will be much better able to cope.

This is true. We can only begin to reduce the stigma associated with mental health issues and suicide when we talk about them more. An organisation that I know has a mantra: "It's okay not to feel okay." This is what we tell our young people, but we do not provide the resources. We need to provide those resources to the national authority. We need to be able to share our stories, listen to one another and let one another know that we care.

I am someone whose mental health was in crisis until recently.

Through my experience of hospitalisation, including treatment, medication, counselling and, most important, the love I feel for my family every day, I discovered the wonderful process of recovery. We do not give people that message. The time has come to face these new challenges and address suicide in a more serious way, not only through the agencies doing the invaluable work but also through a national strategy framework with direct ministerial accountability. I have so many facts and figures available to me and I would love to believe that if the House had the opportunity to interrogate this Bill meaningfully on Second Stage, we would have the time to digest them.

I thank the Office of the Ceann Comhairle and the Government Chief Whip. I pay special tribute to Mr. Noel Smith, co-founder and chairman of 3Ts, and also Ms Lisa Halford, the manager, who drafted this Bill. I thank my staff, including Mr. Gerry Kennedy, my parliamentary assistant, Ms Linda Kavanagh, my secretarial assistant, and my colleague Paul Hughes, who was invaluable in conducting research and assisting me today. I commend the Bill to the House.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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Is the Bill being opposed?

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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No.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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Since this is a Private Members' Bill, Second Stage must, under Standing Orders, be taken in Private Members' time.

Derek Keating (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."