National tragedy

THE Government is planning to spend a mere €1.8 million on suicide prevention this year, while €184 billion is being ploughed into the National Development Plan, which is brazenly entitled Transforming Ireland: A Better Quality Of Life For All.

A shocking number of people are taking their own lives while a far greater number suffer from serious depression and self-harm.

It is the moral duty of the Government to ensure no one is left behind, but it has failed abysmally in this regard. Suicide prevention is nearly solely dependent on voluntary organisations and charities. In this context, Fianna Fáil’s slogan, A Stronger, Fairer Ireland, must be an attempt to make people laugh.

Paul O’Brien

66 Pembroke Cottages

Donnybrook

Dublin 4.