Marie Moloney (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I second Senator van Turnhout's call for a debate on the child and adolescent mental health service, CAMHS, but we should go a step further in a week that has focused people's minds on the question of suicide, given the dreadful aeroplane crash and deaths of many people that resulted from just one person wanting to commit suicide. Every year, approximately 500 people commit suicide in Ireland, 80% of whom are men. It is time that the national Parliament open up the debate on suicide. It is no longer taboo. Last year, €35 million was made available for mental health services. As such, it beggars belief that the HSE could not fill psychiatric nursing places. Young people are crying out for jobs. Let us bring our nurses home. There are places and money.

Nearly one year ago, I gathered together a group in Kerry comprising the coroner, Stand Against Suicide, the counselling centre, the Garda and everyone in the area involved in tackling suicide. We submitted a detailed and comprehensive submission to the national framework strategy for suicide prevention. Let us not play politics with this issue. Let us work across parties to save lives. Let us hold a debate in the Chamber on the matter.