Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State and all the contributors. This is such an important issue. There is not a family in the country untouched by mental health issues in general, and there is not a community or extended family unaffected by suicide. It is a terrible affliction which needs radical action and which would be best dealt with on a cross-party basis. We need to get together and show we are serious about it. This requires responsibility on the part of the Opposition and honesty on the part of the Government because we have had the whole rigmarole about the budget.

According to the media, the Minister of State, Deputy Lynch, spoke out within the Government about this and was very annoyed about how the budget was dealt with last year. Funding was not restored this year. If it were restored, I would advocate a cross-party approach on the issue and that we would support the Government. There was always a cross-party approach on road safety. There was never an argument about establishing the Road Safety Authority and when we controversially changed drink driving legislation, it received great support. Despite the fact that individual Members of the Oireachtas would receive many phone calls from everywhere about it, there was always full support for it. Such support should exist, however the financial support and commitment from the Government should also be there. The €15 million that was cut, which the Government promised to restore but did not, should be restored as soon as possible as a precondition to cross-party support. While there is much confusion about it, there is less money there than was committed to.

Suicide remains a major silent crisis and despite the best efforts of the many organisations, volunteers and professionals working in suicide prevention and awareness, the statistics, sadly, underline the scale of the problem. Loss of life through suicide, attempted loss of life through suicide and the injuries sustained represent the equivalent of the loss of the population of entire villages annually. Many people are doing great work on suicide awareness and how to deal with somebody who expresses suicidal thoughts. Members of the Oireachtas receive communications from people in this situation and I am sure members of the clergy and the medical professions also do.

People in the wider community often hear from people who express themselves to be suicidal. I heard my party colleague, Dr. Hillery, the eminent psychiatrist speak at a meeting, and he was very keen to advocate not just the role of the medical profession and the Government, but the entire community. He feels the entire community has a role to play in suicide prevention. Often there will be a reason for suicidality, for example, a person is in deep financial trouble and there may be somebody in the community, such as an accountant, who can come to the person’s help. There may be other issues that do not always require a psychiatrist or a doctor and the entire community has a role and responsibility. That was a very interesting point by Dr. John Hillery. The skills of the community may help particular individuals in their times of trouble.

There is much awareness, and I pay tribute to the organisations that provide awareness training for politicians and the members of staff in their offices. Members of staff speak on the phone regularly to people expressing suicidal thoughts. An all-party group met on this issue and a community organisation in Kells, County Meath, organised awareness training. A group in Nobber, County Meath, is staging a Cycle Against Suicide this weekend. It is not a fund-raiser, although it will raise some funds; the main goal is to raise awareness and keep suicide and mental health issues on the agenda.

The Road Safety Authority was established on a cross-party basis, effectively, and it has helped to cut by half the number of deaths on our roads. More than 200 lives have been saved per year by the consensus and the commitment to funding. Many young men are affected by road safety issues. Fianna Fáil believes a similar approach could be taken to mental health, and that is why we have proposed the establishment of a national mental health authority to lead a national programme promoting positive attitudes to mental health and to reduce self-harm and suicide.

I welcome the Minister of State's commitment to the policy of A Vision for Change, which was a Fianna Fáil Government policy that has always had cross-party support. We want this policy on future services in the area of mental health to be implemented fully and are concerned that progress has been slow. Under A Vision for Change, a new and very welcome unit was opened in Drogheda, and at the time of the opening Government Deputies said there was no threat to the psychiatric unit at Our Lady's Hospital, Navan. However, I have received word that the psychiatric unit in Navan is to close next year, with services moved to Drogheda. This confusion is unhelpful. The Navan psychiatric unit is an essential component of mental health services in County Meath. The facility in Drogheda is fantastic, but we must keep facilities open. Some people who campaigned on the issue of suicide have been quoted in the media as saying that the Navan psychiatric unit has saved lives and that closing it could cost lives. Along with the people of Meath, I seek clarity on this issue.

There are many issues to discuss in this area, and talking is crucial. Silence, stigma and embarrassment regarding mental health have led to many deaths. The stigma still exists, but when people open up and talk it can diminish. Some parts of the country have excellent public psychiatric nursing services, and anonymous nurses in different areas, available to people in moments of distress, have saved countless lives. The service is not the same throughout the country - I have seen it work well in one part of the country but I am not convinced that is the case everywhere. I pay tribute to the psychiatric nurses who do a very difficult job travelling around and saving lives through their words, actions and referrals.

We will keep up pressure for funding to be restored. I advocate a cross-party approach to this issue and a genuine commitment at senior, ministerial level. That cross-party approach is conditional on promises of funding being kept.