Colm Burke (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch and thank her for her comprehensive speech. I have worked with her in Cork North Central for a number of years and I know that when she takes on a project, she sets her mind on achieving an outcome. I hope that by the time she finishes her term in the Department, the targets she has set will be met. The Minister of State is dedicated and committed to dealing with this area. I welcome Deputy Derek Keating and the group from the Clondalkin community action on suicide who are in the Gallery and thank them for the work they are doing. I thank all the voluntary groups around the country who are working on this issue. It is important to give public recognition to the work of Deputy Dan Neville who has worked in this area for a long number of years as president of the Irish Association of Suicidology and thank him and all who work with that association.

The tragedy of suicide affects every family and community in some way or other, in every part of the country. It also affects every health care professional at some stage during his or her working life. When a person passes away from a medical complaint there is an explanation as to the cause of death, but in cases of death from suicide there is no explanation in the vast majority of cases and it leaves unanswered questions. Unfortunately it is a problem that remains unanswered. When a death from suicide occurs it has a knock-on effect on at least a minimum of ten other people. We have seen in some rural areas a series of suicides, where a death from suicide triggers a number of others. We need to be extremely careful in dealing with this topic, because like a falling deck of cards, discussion of the death can generate other problems. For that reason we must be extremely careful in dealing with this topic.

The Minister outlined the suicide incidence rates. While there was a very slight reduction in 2010, it appears from the evidence available for 2011 that the reduction might have been temporary. Unfortunately, the economic downturn is having knock-on effects, and the Minister mentioned that aspect. The OECD produced a report which showed that out of 30 developed states, Ireland has the second highest rate of suicide among young people. That is the challenge we must face. It is a problem and we must deal with it.

Senator MacSharry raised how we dealt with the road deaths issue. We dealt with it in a comprehensive way, through changes in the law and taking a more serious view of drink driving and the road worthiness of vehicles. We also took on the speeding issue. In addition, we had a single person to lead that campaign and we conducted a major advertising campaign in the process. We must look at the issue of suicide prevention in a more comprehensive way, through co-ordination of all the services both in the voluntary sector and under the HSE and the Department of Health. We must see how we can develop a programme similar to the way we dealt with road deaths. The Minister outlined how she proposes to deal with that, but we must keep it under constant review as regards how to improve getting the information out to the public so we can ensure it is a case of prevention rather than dealing with families after the event has occurred.

While it is not directly linked to this issue, it is interesting to note the report on child and adolescent mental health services for 2010-11 and the figures for the number of cases that come into those services. The report shows, for example, that up to September 2011, there were 16,080 cases being dealt with. That is 1.55% of the population under 18 years of age coming under the care of the child and adolescent mental health services. There was a waiting list of 1,897, which is a reduction compared to a year earlier. In fairness to the services, they are giving priority to the urgent cases.

It is also interesting to examine how the service has developed. In the period from October 2010 to October 2011, over 7,700 of those cases were able to be referred back to their general practitioners, GPs, or other care providers. They did not stay within the system. The care was provided and after improvements in their well-being, the young people were able to be referred back to their GPs for further care. This shows how well the matter is being dealt with. However, these are people who are within the system. The problem with suicide is that the vast majority are outside the loop, which is why we must conduct a comprehensive programme of education for young people.

The recent Irish Association of Suicidology conference had four working groups. The first dealt with how the statutory and voluntary organisations can work together to support positive mental health in their communities. The second group dealt with how voluntary organisations can support families in the community and the third dealt with how GPs can support families in the community. That is an important issue. One of the issues relating to GPs is that their surgeries can sometimes be under a great deal of pressure due to numbers attending, especially in the winter months, and the time given to people might not always be sufficient. When we talk about an education programme we must realise we are all involved in that programme, be it young people, adults or health care professionals, with regard to the need to be careful and to take on board the concerns people have when they want to talk. That is very important.

It is also important to examine how this issue is being tackled. When conducting my research I examined the situation in Scotland and the issues on which the Scots are being proactive. When journalists are reporting on suicide cases, the Scots insist that details about a help-line be published with every article. If the article affects somebody or raises an issue for them, therefore, there is a help-line available. It is very important that when an article deals with this issue, information is attached to the article for people who have concerns so they can make contact about it.

There is a need for more co-ordination between all the statutory services and with the voluntary organisations. The voluntary organisations are doing a huge job and they must be encouraged, supported and given every assistance possible to ensure we get the message across that there is somebody available to provide the help when it is necessary. I again thank the Minister and wish her well with her programme over the next four years to deal with this matter.