James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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700. To ask the Minister for Health the way in which he and his officials are ensuring that the recommendation contained in the Mental Health Commission report, A Human Cost, relating to how banking staff or those in financial institutions can best assist persons with mental illness is implemented; if he or his officials have been in contact directly with the Department of Finance or with the banks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46138/17]

Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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The HSE National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP) provides advice and training to financial and public service institutions who are dealing with customers who may be in distress.

NOSP provides the SafeTalk and Asist suicide prevention training programmes without charge to the community. Participants regularly include staff from the financial institutions and public services. In 2015 approximately 6,500 number participated in SafeTALK training and 2,600 in Asist. These programmes are designed to provide participants with the skills and confidence to interact with an individual who is experiencing emotional difficulty.

In June 2013 NOSP presented a day-long programme specifically for the financial services sector, titled "Responding to Clients in Emotional Distress – Guidance for Staff within the Financial Services". The elements of this programme included: awareness raising, statistics, risk factors (biological, psychological, social etc.), group work, responding to distressed clients, information on supports and services for signposting and onward referral.

NOSP has also engaged with Public Bodies including the Department of Social Protection, Department of Agriculture, Local Authorities, MABS and the Court Services and assisted with the development of protocols and policies to assist staff who may deal with customers in financial distress. This includes providing advice on face-to-face and telephone contact. NOSP has also recently assisted in a project commissioned by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) with regard to assisting with the development of ‘best practices’ guidelines on debt collection by public bodies.