Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)

The number one killer of young people in Ireland is not cancer or road traffic deaths, it is suicide. There is a need for an all-Ireland approach to this issue. Recently there have been calls for the establishment of a dedicated suicide research centre on an all-Ireland basis. The Northern Ireland Minister for Health, Mr. McGimpsey, is open to this idea. I ask the Leader to ask the Minister for Health and Children to play an active role in progressing it as a matter of urgency. The figures for 2004 show that 457 people died by suicide.