Mary White (Fianna Fail)

I know how he is regarded by many young people who he taught in his area and how he inspired them to go on to achieve an education and improve their prospects. They were able to cut through the class barrier.

The issue of alcohol interests me. I am a member of the Joint Committee on Health and Children and when I was appointed to the committee, I studied its documents. I have taken up the issue of suicide awareness and prevention. The committee, in its 2006 report, was scathing about the Government's failure. It stated that alcohol consumption is strongly associated with accidental deaths, including death by suicide, but the Government has failed to implement its own alcohol policy, the report of the National Strategic Task Force on Alcohol, which could curb alcohol abuse. If I dared give the Minister of State advice, the task force report contains ten recommendations and further study and reports are unnecessary.

As the Minister of State will be aware, I produced a policy document on children and another on aging and ageism. In both areas there were shelves of reports and there was very little action. In the case of alcohol, there is no mystery and it is all spelt out in the report. There is conclusive evidence from the UK that consumption falls if the price of alcohol is increased.

There is a significant problem in Ireland in that alcohol consumption is now based at home rather than in the pub. In that regard there is an issue to deal with in that we do not have a notion of how much is being consumed.

The abuse of alcohol is a serious factor in suicide. Why has Ireland the fifth highest rate of death by suicide of young men among the EU countries? It is incredible. Alcohol has consistently been shown to be a factor. People get false courage when they drink alcohol.

There are more deaths due to suicide than to road accidents. Last year there were 409 suicides and 360 road deaths. All of us are aware of the campaigns for road safety, but what public awareness is there of death by suicide? There are far more deaths by suicide.

On average, 10,500 young people turn up at accident and emergency departments having threatened to commit suicide. This issue of suicide must be lanced, put on the political radar and dealt with.

It is wrong that we are unnecessarily letting people die by suicide. I am a woman of action. I am not interested in excessive studying and reporting. The strategic task force on alcohol report of September 2004 was a Government report and it is time to move on it and implement it. I will push for that, as I did in the case of child care and in my push for a new entrance to the Oireachtas 2000 building. The Chair knows how much work I put into those achievements. I will drive the issue of suicide prevention and awareness at the Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party meeting.

I compliment our Cathaoirleach, Senator Moylan, and Senator Labhrás Ó Murchú on the example they set as pioneers.