Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 263: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will guarantee that the suicide prevention national strategy Reach Out is properly funded to deliver on the commitments in that report to begin to properly tackle suicide incidence here, believed to be nearly 600 a year. [37421/08]

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', the National Strategy for Action on Suicide Prevention. 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. In addition, 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. Funding of €1 million will also be provided in 2009 for suicide prevention initiatives.