I thank the committee for affording an opportunity to the Samaritans to discuss the implementation of the telephone number 116 123. Before we talk about the issues involved in implementation, we believe it will be helpful to tell members a little about the work of the Samaritans in Ireland. As we know, the number of deaths from suicide in Ireland is unacceptably high. In 2009, 527 people took their lives by suicide. The impact is felt in every village, town and city.
The Samaritans' mission is to reduce emotional distress and the rate of suicide. We have been doing this work in the United Kingdom and Ireland for over 50 years, primarily by providing confidential, non-judgmental emotional support 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, by telephone, email and short message service and through face-to-face contact. Today's discussion will focus on the helpline only.
The service is provided in the Republic by 1,500 volunteers. They currently answer approximately 1,200 calls per day. Demand for the service has increased by approximately 10% since the beginning of this year and we have answered 310,000 calls to date this year. Most of the funding for the work in Ireland is raised from the public. We receive a core grant from the HSE and, from time to time, we receive project funding from the National Office for Suicide Prevention.
The Samaritans regard the establishment of the number 116 123 as a unique opportunity to reach out to more people experiencing emotional distress and suicidal thoughts. The board of trustees has made the number a priority for the entire organisation. Our research indicates that the actual and perceived cost of a telephone call can prevent people in distress from calling the Samaritans. This is particularly true in the case of some of the most vulnerable groups, namely, the young and those on lower incomes who rely on pay-as-you-go mobile phones. Making a possibly lifesaving telephone call can be beyond the financial means of many. In addition, our telephone numbers are not as widely known as we would like.
As an EU-wide, easy to remember number, 116 123 has the potential to be as universally known as the numbers 112 and 999. However, moving to a free-to-caller number presents major financial risks for Samaritans. If we move too quickly without managing these risks, we could financially cripple the charity. The board of trustees decided, therefore, to pilot the service in order to help us to better understand the risks and discover how they might be mitigated. The pilot scheme has been running in the United Kingdom since April. Although it is still early days, some valuable lessons have been learned. We are receiving more calls during daytime hours, callers are talking for longer and the number of calls from mobile phones is rising rapidly. All of this confirms our view that cost has been a barrier for some. Unfortunately, a small number of people are also abusing the serviceand we are also learning how to deal with this.
When we commenced the pilot project in the United Kingdom, we conducted a feasibility study of the 116 123 number in Ireland. We shared the findings with ComReg as part of our positive and ongoing relationship with it. The study concludes that we are operationally ready to deliver the 116 123 service with immediate effect. ComReg has allocated the 116 123 number to Samaritans because it is the only organisation in Ireland which meets the European Commission's minimum standards for the provision of a harmonised emotional support service. Our service actually exceeds the standards to which I refer, particularly in the context of the coverage it offers 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This means that no new work or investment is required in Ireland for the emotional support service to be provided. There are volunteers across the country who are delivering the service.
The study also concludes that we are technically ready and could begin accepting calls within five days. In May we completed the installation of a new telephony system that will allow us to receive 116 123 calls and distribute them efficiently to our branch network. This has been a major undertaking for our branches and volunteers. We would not have been able to achieve it without the support of Deputy Devins, former Minister of State with special responsibility for mental health issues, and a grant from the national lottery, facilitated by the Department of Health and Children. This major infrastructural upgrade also increased the resilience and capacity of the service, enabling us to meet the increasing demand generated as a result of the current economic environment. Although we did not know this at the time the decision was made, I acknowledge the foresight of Deputy Devins and the Department of Health and Children in providing support.
The major stumbling block in the implementation of the 116 123 service is call charges. As a result of the fact that the number is free to callers, Samaritans would be obliged to pay over €825,000 a year in additional call charges. That is simply unaffordable. Why is the cost so high? At present, callers dial our 1850 lo-call number. Samaritans should bear a per minute charge to receive these calls, but Eircom has always generously sponsored this for us and other charity helplines. It does so by absorbing the cost associated with calls that originate on its own network and by paying a per minute fee to mobile phone operators for 1850 calls which originate on their networks. It has informed us that it paid out over €500,000 to mobile phone operators last year for handling calls to charity helplines and indicated that it cannot continue this level of subsidy indefinitely.
Owing to the growth in the level of mobile phone ownership, the majority of calls to charity helplines now originate on mobile phone networks. Eircom is, therefore, paying increasing amounts of money to mobile phone operators which it does not recoup from charity service providers. It has published its charges in respect of 116 numbers, from which we have calculated that Samaritans will incur an average charge of 25 cent per minute to receive 116 123 calls. For the 3.3 million minutes a year during which we listen to people in distress, we would be presented with an annual phone bill of €825,000.
As the committee discussed on 6 October, the European Union designated 116 123 as a pan-European number of great social value and decided that it should be free to callers. However, it did not specify who should bear the cost. From the work we have carried out, it is clear that the European Union does not want to pay; national governments state they cannot pay; the regulators do not want to dictate who should pay, and the industry does not seem to want to pay. In such circumstances, responsibility for funding this vital service is falling wholly on the shoulders of a volunteer-led charity which raises most of its funding through public donations. We do not believe that is fair; neither do members of the public. More important, it is not realistic.
Being realistic, Samaritans will get nowhere if left to negotiate with mobile phone operators on an individual basis. The operators do not perceive the funding of 116 numbers as their responsibility. Even if they are sympathetic to our cause, they are not going to fund use of the 116 123 number for fear of the precedent this would set in respect of other existing and future 116 numbers. We do not expect any single organisation to bear the costs relating to the use of the 116 123 number. The best way forward is a shared solution. If the relevant Departments and agencies, the telecommunications industry and the 116 number providers come together, a sensible, sustainable funding solution will be found.
This meeting is a great opportunity to kick-start the process of bringing together the key stakeholders in order to reach the shared solution to which I refer. We would welcome members' support in identifying the organisations whih need to be involved and getting their decision-makers around the table to facilitate the finding of a solution. If members believe 116 numbers are important and that Ireland should be following through on its EU commitment, we would make the following suggestion to them. There is a need to find an impartial and respected individual with the skills and influence necessary to identify and bring together all of the key stakeholders and work with them in order that a shared solution to this problem might be arrived at. That individual should be asked to report back to the committee in approximately three months with such a solution. In return, our commitment to members would be to begin taking 116 123 calls within one week of that solution being agreed.
We are committed to making the 116 123 service a reality in Ireland as soon as possible, particularly as we believe it is a vital tool in the battle to reduce rates of suicide. Technically and operationally, we are ready to launch the service. However, we need the committee's assistance in resolving the issue of who should pay the call charges. We hope it will be willing to support our proposal for a shared solution.