Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I agree with much of Senator Henry's contribution. While minimum pricing is welcome, it is an awful shame that the House could not support the Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Fund Bill 2014. It sought to take advantage of the low prices on alcohol by setting up a fund to ring-fence the money generated from these alcohol sales rather than providing additional profitability to the drinks companies. We estimated approximately €150 million could be raised through such a measure specifically for suicide prevention, which remains a silent crisis in our society with up to 600 people a year needlessly losing their lives. In addition, A Vision for Change, which is in its ninth year, is starved of resources annually and despite the best efforts of the Minister of State with responsibility for mental health, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, it is difficult for service providers to provide adequate resources. The strategy is lagging well behind where it needs to be in terms of its implementation.

It is all well and good for all of us to come into the House in accelerated and personified indignation and call for action on specific issues. The reality is we are not interested in dealing with this issue as a nation, although that might not apply to individual Members. We have again pandered to the drinks companies regarding this legislation. Alcohol prices must be raised and through the measures we suggested in the Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Fund Bill 2014, the money generated should be ring-fenced for suicide prevention and mental health services, where it is deserved. I am not a killjoy and I do not oppose drinking but alcohol abuse has gotten out of control in recent years. If the Government does not ring-fence this money for the services I have mentioned, which have been outlined by many Members previously, we will miss a great opportunity to deal with this issue once and for all.