Mary Ann O'Brien (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate Senator Marc MacSharry and Fianna Fáil on bringing the Bill before the House. We are all aware of the need for road safety. While some of the television advertisements relating to that matter in recent years have been extremely upsetting, we must consider how an entire culture has been changed. It is for this reason I commend Senator Marc MacSharry. We cannot discuss the matter to which the Bill relates enough. In 2011 €50 million was allocated for road safety measures. In the same year €8.8 million was allocated to the National Office for Suicide Prevention. That is quite a difference. The number of deaths by suicide is practically double that caused by road accidents. I am not in any way trying to say the budget for the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport should be cut. I am merely making the point.

We must continue to do everything in our power to help to create a country in which citizens can feel that, as a result of their sadness and emotional and other difficulties, talking to other human beings is an easy and healthy step to take. The prevention of suicide is not the exclusive responsibility of any one sector of society. The media, families, educators, health providers and the HSE, workplaces and employers, schools and colleges, doctors and primary care providers, the Irish Prison Service, social clubs, the church, the Garda, youth organisations, legislators and those who decide how taxpayers' valuable money is spent all have a responsibility to prevent suicide which is a silent killer. It is welcome that Senator Marc MacSharry has made provision in the Bill for alcohol, particularly as it is one of the main reasons young people are taking their lives.

Younger people are suffering more mental health problems than their predecessors. I accept that poverty, inadequate education and unemployment may be factors in this regard and that their lives are filled with hopelessness and that there is a lack of purpose and a family history of suicide. In that context, alcohol abuse is a problem with which we are not dealing. We pay lip service to the subject, but Fianna Fáil has brought forward this Bill in order to try to actually do something about it. Two previous speakers referred to a particular EU law which might act as a roadblock, but let us try to find a way to circumvent it. I really want to support the Bill and was extremely saddened to discover the existence of this EU law, with which we must concur. It is welcome that Diageo has removed Arthur's day from the calendar. It was another occasion on which young people could get absolutely plastered. When they woke up the following morning, they were left with a hangover and feelings of low self-esteem and nothingness. According to the World Health Organization, the risk of suicide among young people who drink is eight times the norm. Some 40% of self-harm cases arise as a result of alcohol abuse.

There is a need for the Government to introduce legislation to combat cyberbullying because it is having a major impact on young people's mental health and self-esteem. They are being targeted by silent bullies who can get at them through social media sites such as Instagram, Facebook, Viber and Snapchat. These are the ones about which I know because I have a 14 year old but there are lots more. Older people are also committing suicide as a result of poverty, social isolation, depression, poor quality housing and physical health problems.

We owe a huge debt of gratitude to all of the people and volunteers who have established charities and other organisations and are working endlessly to combat the problem of suicide throughout the country. I do not wish to criticise any of these amazing people, most of whom had loved ones who committed suicide, but there are 500 suicide charities. The National Office for Suicide Prevention supports approximately 20 of the charities in question. Most of the 500 charities to which I refer are not regulated and an audit has not been carried out of them. They are spread throughout the country and no one has joined the dots. A large number of people have made a massive effort in this area. However, there is a need for someone to come up with a way to bring all of the various charities to which I refer together, garner the energy of those involved and provide them with more funding. There is also a need to create synergies and introduce proper auditing, particularly in respect of counsellors. In that context, there are many unregulated counsellors.

There is a need for the media to act responsibly in this matter. In addition, we must seek to educate people because what we really want to encourage is suicide prevention. I employ 160 people at my company and realised earlier today that I had never put in place a mental health programme. We all know the cost which accrues to the economy as a result of people being obliged to be absent from their place of employment as a result of work-related stress. However, it must be recognised that people in certain workplaces are being bullied. I encourage all employers to conduct seminars and education and well-being sessions for their employees in order that they might feel better and recognise the signs of mental distress among their work mates which might lead to their contemplating suicide.