Colm Keaveney (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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56. To ask the Minister for Health the funding that is being provided for the new suicide prevention strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27574/15]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Dealing with the current high levels of suicide and deliberate self-harm is a priority for this Government. Funding for suicide prevention is provided to the National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP) by the HSE from its overall budget for mental health.

Funding for NOSP has increased from €3.7 million in 2010 to €8.8 million in 2015, an increase of almost 140% in just five years. In addition, €1.2 million has been made available annually since 2014 to fund HSE Resource Officers for Suicide Prevention, Self-Harm Liaison Nurses in Hospital Emergency Departments and other regional suicide prevention initiatives.

An additional €35 million has been provided in the 2015 National Service Plan for Mental Health Services, and the areas which will benefit from the additional funding include additional Resource Officers for Suicide Prevention and priority actions for the new Suicide Prevention Strategy, which will be allocated an additional €2.75 million, bringing the total spend in the area of suicide prevention to €12.750 million. Areas identified during the formulation of the Implementation Plan for the Strategy which require additional funding will be given favourable consideration.