Frances Black (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Last Saturday, I was invited to speak at an event organised by my colleague, Senator Ruane. The event was called Tallaght Talks and the emphasis was on mental health issues. There were a number of great speakers present on the day but what had the greatest impact on me was the response from the people attending the event, which was very emotional. One man shared his experience of depression. He spoke about how difficult life is for him and how he might not make it to Christmas because he felt so low and that he might end up taking his own life. His story was one of many. Another woman pleaded for help because so many of her family have died by suicide. One young lad asked how he could support a friend who had lost a loved one to suicide. There were numerous stories like that on the day.

The overwhelming feeling in the room was one of abandonment and lack of support services. People felt unrepresented by the Government. In recent years, communities were being commended on their contribution to the country by suffering the austerity measures imposed on them. The advice at that time was that everybody had to tighten their belts in order that we might get over this crisis. The old saying "No pain, no gain" was put forward. The people in the room on Saturday had felt the pain of austerity and had not benefited from any gain. They were not looking for gain in any selfish way but in the form of proper support for the less well off in the community. They felt totally abandoned.

Suicide is one of the major problems facing society. The reports that 16 people died by suicide in Cork county in a two-week period should ensure that all party-political concerns are put aside and that a concerted effort is made to tackle this issue by means of the provision of all the necessary supports. I ask the Leader why a state of emergency has not been declared in order to support the thousands of people who are struggling with mental health issues and who believe they have nowhere to turn to for support, the families who have lost loved ones to suicide and the large number of children who will be homeless this Christmas. People do not see any urgency in tackling the problem of suicide and they are disillusioned with a system which continually refers to tackling the homelessness issue but which will not introduce rent certainty. The less well off in society need to be a priority. It should be a case of looking after those people first and putting their needs before those of any vested interests. Our society should be judged on how we look after our poorest, not on how the rich are getting even richer.