Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 254: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the savings in the instruction by the Health Service Executive to the suicide resource officers to cancel all meetings, training seminars and training course on suicide and suicide prevention in hotels. [21862/07]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Responsibility for the implementation of "Reach Out" the National Strategy for Action on Suicide Prevention, which was published in September 2005, rests with the HSE's National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP). The Minister and the National Office are committed to the implementation of the strategy. Significant additional funding of €3.05 million was provided in 2006 and 2007 which brings the total funding available to support suicide prevention initiatives in 2007 to €8 million. The National Office is engaged in a significant level of training including the ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) programme and has already trained 91 trainers and delivered over 200 2-day workshops to over 5000 people around the country. The National Office will continue to coordinate and deliver training, as required.

Operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services was assigned to the Health Service Executive (HSE) under the Health Act 2004 and funding for all health services has been provided as part of its overall vote. The Executive, therefore, is the appropriate body to consider the particular matter raised by the Deputy. My Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have the matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.