Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 224: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will reverse the cuts to the National Office for Suicide Prevention; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13329/09]

John Moloney (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The Budget for the National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP) is set by the Health Service Executive, specifically, within the Population Health Directorate. The HSE advised NOSP that its annual budget was to be reduced by 12.5%. Accordingly, NOSP's budget for 2009 amounts to €3.3 million. In addition, once off funding of €1 million was allocated in 2009 for suicide prevention initiatives which brings the total funding available to NOSP in 2009 to €4.3m.

Funding will be used to progress actions identified in 'Reach Out' — the National Strategy for Action on Suicide Prevention and specifically, develop youth based campaigns. Other suicide prevention initiatives which include Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), dedicated suicide resource officers, suicide prevention training officers and deliberate self-harm response nurses in A&E departments, are delivered and funded directly by the HSE. It should also be emphasised that a range of services such as mental health and primary care services are important in helping to prevent suicide. These services play a vital role in the drive to reduce the incidence of suicide, and should be taken into account when considering the level of expenditure devoted to suicide prevention.

It is the responsibility of the National Office to allocate its funding most effectively within itself and to organisations it funds. NOSP met all of the organisations involved to ensure that existing levels of service will be maintained. All organisations have agreed to introduce the required reductions and have agreed that cuts in expenditure will be restricted to non-pay and non-service related costs (e.g. training, travel etc.) It is worth noting that, in 2008, the National Office made no reduction in funding to any of the voluntary bodies it supports, even though other parts of the HSE reduced funding to voluntary bodies. We are operating in straitened times but I wish to assure the Deputy that the current economic climate does not in any way dilute this Government's commitment to suicide prevention.