Founding member of suicide alliance pulls out

THE founding member of a coalition of suicide charities, the Action on Suicide Alliance, has pulled out of the organisation claiming it now lacks independence and cannot criticise its state funders.

Question marks now hang over the future of the group, set up by the 3Ts charity (Turning the Tide of Suicide), to force the Government to implement recommendations of several expert reports on suicide prevention.

It is understood another of the reasons behind the decision of the 3Ts, co-founded by businessman Noel Smyth, is that it wants a suicide authority similar to the Road Safety Authority to be set up, but the HSE’s National Office of Suicide Prevention (NOSP) does not agree with this.