Dan Neville
Question:236 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of meetings of the national suicide research group established in 1998; the dates of these meetings; and the progress, if any, made. [26156/99]
Written Answers - National Suicide Research Group.
There have been five meetings of the national suicide research group since it was established in 1998. The meetings took place on the following dates: 2 June, 1998 – inaugural meeting; 20 October, 1998; 26 January, 1999; 14 April, 1999 and 14 October, 1999. The next meeting takes place on 8 December, 1999 in Limerick.
The establishment of a suicide research group by the chief executive officers of the health boards was central to the strategy to prevent and reduce suicide and attempted suicide and was a core recommendation of the final report of the national task force on suicide. Membership of the group includes experts in the areas of mental health, public health and research. The main responsibilities of the suicide research group are to review ongoing trends in suicide and parasuicide, to co-ordinate research into suicide and to make appropriate recommendations to the chief executive officers of health boards.
A researcher-co-ordinator has recently been appointed by the group and is currently undertaking a full review of activities in 1999 and preparing a service plan for 2000. The national co-ordinator is facilitating and supporting the work of the regional co-ordinators in each health board.
The suicide research group is in the process of inviting different research groups to make presentations. One of these, the National Suicide Research Foundation, is being funded to carry out a national study on parasuicide and will be working very closely with the group throughout the period of research. At each meeting, the group reviews research work being undertaken by the public health departments in each health board area and examines their progress reports to identify successful initiatives. A review of the new Garda report forms – Form 104 – which are sent to the central statistics office is also being undertaken.
I understand the National Suicide Research Group will forward a copy of its work programme for 2000 to my Department within the next few weeks.