Peter Mathews (Dublin South, Independent)
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422. To ask the Minister for Health if he will consider providing funding for suicide prevention professional training programmes for all students' union officers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27582/15]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Government policy on suicide prevention will be guided over the next number of years by the recently published Connecting for Life- Ireland's National Strategy to reduce Suicide 2015-2020, the successor to theReach Out Strategy.The new Strategy sets out a vision where fewer lives are lost through suicide, and where communities and individuals are empowered to improve their mental health and well-being. This includes a greater focus on the important area of support for families and communities in suicide prevention, and will include providing community-based organisations with guidelines, protocols and training on effective suicide prevention.

Training in suicide prevention is one aspect of the work of the HSE's National Office for Suicide Prevention and its partners in the statutory and voluntary sector. A wide range of awareness and training programmes are available including ASIST and SafeTALK which train participants to become more alert to the possibility of suicide in their community. I have, therefore, referred the question to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy. If you have not received a response within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.