Pearse Doherty (Sinn Fein)

I thank Senator Norris for sharing his time. He outlined the state of emergency with regard to suicide. He referred to a young lad from Donegal, Alan Doherty. Unfortunately, there are too many Alan Dohertys throughout the 32 counties who are not with us today because, for one reason or another, they have taken their own lives. One of my concerns is that the Government is not doing enough to put in place supports to fund suicide prevention initiatives throughout the State. Alan Doherty is an example. After his death a fund was set up to help communities address some of the issues relating to suicide prevention. Does the Minister really believe we are taking the issue seriously, when we only have an investment of €8 million per year for suicide prevention? We need to go much further.

I welcome the Government suicide prevention strategy in as far as it goes. However, very little has changed since the mental health commission annual report for 2004 showed the Government was falling far short of international obligations. That report highlighted the lack of services, the under-resourcing of existing services, poor management, a wide variation in clinical practice across the State and inconsistency in service availability between regions. It is a system in need of fundamental change.

The high level of suicide in Irish society was again confirmed by the report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children, published a year ago. That report was particularly critical of the state of our mental health services. It points out that people with mental health illnesses are known to be at greater risk of death by suicide, but notes that the type of mental health service one can access is a matter of luck. It goes on to say that funding for mental health services is allocated in a random manner, with scant regard for need. In the context of suicide, the most damning comment of all is the assertion that the provision of mental health services for adolescents is high on aspiration, but low on action. This is a severe indictment of the State's management of our health services.

The same is true with regard to the conclusion that despite 11,000 admissions to accident and emergency units each year, following suicidal behaviour, we have not yet put in place swift and appropriate standardised interventions to treat this high risk group, thereby reducing repeat acts. The Government and the Executive in the North must take on board all the findings of the joint committee. The report makes 33 detailed and costed recommendations for covering increased public awareness and improving mental health services, especially at primary care level and in targeting those most at risk.

It is important that Government assistance is given to support networks for families affected by suicide. This point was made at a seminar on suicide prevention organised at Stormont by the Sinn Féin president, Gerry Adams, last month. Bereaved families participated in that seminar, as did members of other political parties from this House. Sinn Féin has identified suicide as a priority area, requiring concerted co-operation between the Governments North and South, the health services, the voluntary sector and communities. We have made a number of policy recommendations which the Government needs to take on board. We must all act together and work collectively to target this emergency in society.

One of the priority policy proposals is that we look at suicide prevention as an area of co-operation under the all-Ireland Ministerial Council to give the issue the strategic co-ordination it requires. We must frame and implement a fully resourced, comprehensive all-Ireland suicide prevention strategy, including actions to promote mental health among the general population, and deliver it through the schools, youth services, workplaces and the media. We must develop mental health promotion actions targeting specific sections of the population, incorporating their needs into tailored suicide prevention sub-strategies, and develop mental health promotion and suicide prevention actions targeting groups identified at higher risk of suicide.

We also need to see action to assist individuals identified as being at risk of suicide and those bereaved through suicide. We need to see investment in further clinical and community based research on suicide prevention and develop national mental health awareness and anti-stigma campaigns to help tackle the issue of suicide. We need to include the people at risk of suicide in all of this. We must also include the families of people bereaved by suicide and of those at risk of suicide in policy making on this issue.

We agree with the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children on its call for targets to be set for a reduction of the rates of suicide in the country. Unfortunately, County Donegal has witnessed a high level of suicide, particularly among those of my age group, young males. We need to work collectively to address the issue and get to the root of the problem. The Government's policy is welcome, but it needs to go much further. Senator Norris asked whether we were going to take the issue seriously. If we are only going to spend €8 million per year on suicide prevention, the answer is we are not taking it seriously. I ask the Minister to take on board the recommendations my party and I have made, with those of other Members.