Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 82: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the amount spent on suicide prevention initiatives to date in 2008; the breakdown of those initiatives; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32889/08]

John Moloney (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Since the establishment in 2005 of the National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP), additional funding of €3.55 million has been provided for the implementation of 'Reach Out'. This brings the total funding available to support suicide prevention initiatives to €8 million in 2008. The NOSP has an annual budget of €4.5 million which is used to develop and implement national training programmes, implement awareness campaigns and progress actions identified in the All-Island Action Plan for Suicide Prevention. Other suicide prevention initiatives, which include the funding for dedicated suicide resources officers, deliberate self-harm response nurses in A&E departments, funding to local voluntary groups etc, are delivered and funded directly by the HSE.

Operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services was assigned to the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Therefore, the Executive is the appropriate body to provide the particular details requested by the Deputy and my Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the HSE to arrange to have the matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

The Deputy may also wish to be aware that the Dormant Accounts Fund, which is managed by the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, allocated €1 million in 2008 for community-based initiatives in the area of suicide prevention.