Tim O'Malley (Limerick East, Progressive Democrats)

I welcome this opportunity to make a statement concerning the level of suicide in Irish society. As we are all aware, suicide is a serious social problem. The number of deaths in Ireland attributed to suicide in 2001 was 448. This represents an increase of 35 on the 2000 figure of 413. However, the high incidence of suicide in the general population is not confined to Ireland; it is a growing global problem. A disturbing feature is the male suicide rate, which accounted for 79% of deaths from suicide in 2001. In particular, young males and older males aged 65 years and over have shown an increase in the rate of suicide. These are trends which require further research so that strategies can be developed to help people who are particularly at risk.

When the incidence of suicide began to increase in the early 1990s, my Department became aware of the need for reliable and concrete information on which to build a national strategy to address the growing problem of suicide in Ireland. The national task force on suicide was established in 1995 to address the growing prevalence of suicide in Irish society. The task force comprised 15 individuals from a range of backgrounds, including the coroner services, the Garda Síochána, nursing, psychiatry, psychology, public health and voluntary organisations.