Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House to discuss this very important issue. As colleagues have pointed out, the matter has been raised on numerous occasions in this House between Private Members' motions and statements. The Minister of State is doing her best under very difficult circumstances, bearing in mind that we are barely out of a troika programme, but I am not satisfied she is getting the necessary support from Government to deal with these issues head on. All we need do is compare the impact of suicide on society with other issues which cause injury and death. In the case of road traffic accidents, to give one example, the Road Safety Authority is overseeing a focused, strategic and effective strategy and its campaigns are having an impact. When it comes to suicide, which claims more lives every year than are lost on the roads and affects many others, I do not see that type of strategy. As I said, the Minister of State is doing her best to make it happen, but on this particular issue it comes down to resources.

I acknowledge the phenomenal work being done by thousands of volunteers throughout the country in a myriad of organisations, raising money and providing counselling and peer support. Most people are aware of the important work done by Pieta House and Aware, among others. A lot of work is happening locally as well. In my own constituency the William Winder Rainbow Foundation is a good example of this, while in Leitrim there is an organisation very closely associated with a former colleague of ours. I commend the various councillors around the country, from all parties, who have done enormous work in raising awareness and money and providing support. I also acknowledge the great work done by our colleague, Deputy Dan Neville, in this area. He is regarded not just as a national but an international expert on these issues.

There are lots of good people doing lots of good things, but the question arises as to whether all of this work is being channelled effectively into an overall coherent and focused strategy. It is a cause for concern that there is such a proliferation of organisations, some very much local and others national, all of them doing great work but not necessarily in a coherent way. I acknowledge the efforts of professionals, most of whom are working under very difficult and challenging circumstances and often go above and beyond the call of duty in order to deal with this scourge. Lots of ordinary people want to help but do not know what to do. Many of them end up fund-raising to support existing organisations or set up a new body. There must be a greater effort to impose coherence on the services that are there as part of the strategies the Minister of State outlined.

A vital component of any strategy must be the introduction of focused educational programmes in every primary and secondary school in the country. We need to start dealing properly with the issue of cyberbullying, of which I spoke at length recently. The Department of Education and Skills and individual teachers up and down the country have done a lot of work in putting in place and implementing policies to deal with bullying, whether in the playground or on the Internet. Those programmes must be monitored constantly and where schools are not up to scratch or where flash-points are identified, there must be immediate and effective intervention.

This is a battle we have to win and we can do so with the right resources and commitment and the Minister of State driving us forward. This House has a role to play in constantly reminding her of the hundreds of thousands of families throughout the country who have been devastated by this issue. We are doing our job by keeping the pressure on the Minister of State. I am sure she is doing hers by keeping pressure on Government to provide the resources and ensuring the message is driven home within her Department. We have a maximum of 17 or 18 months left in government. The best legacy we could provide is one of improved mental health and better access to services for people in this State.