Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.
Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.
If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .
Support our mission and join our community now.
Subscribe Today!
To continue reading this article, you can subscribe for as little as €0.50 per week which will also give you access to all of our premium content and archived articles!
Alternatively, you can pay €0.50 per article, capped at €1 per day.
Thank you for supporting Ireland's best local journalism!
Executive failing people on suicide prevention - Foyle MLA claims
A cross-party inquiry has been launched at Stormont to examine how suicide prevention services are funded
Foyle MLA Mark H Durkan
Reporter:
Staff Reporter
21 Jan 2026 4:00 PM
Email:
news@derrynow.com
SDLP Foyle MLA and member of the All Party Group (APG) on Suicide Prevention Mark H Durkan has said the Executive is failing people on suicide prevention and addressing the wider mental health crisis.
On Tuesday a cross-party inquiry was launched at Stormont to examine how suicide prevention services are funded.
The inquiry, which was rolled out by the All-Party Group (APG) on Suicide Prevention and is supported by charity the Samaritans, called for a cross-departmental approach to tackle the societal factors that contribute to people taking their own lives.
There were 290 registered deaths due to suicide in Northern Ireland in 2024, up from 221 in 2023.
Men accounted for over three quarters of all suicides and it remains the leading cause of death for men under 50 in the region.
Speaking this week following the launch of the inquiry into how suicide prevention services are funded, Mr Durkan said: “290 deaths by suicide were registered in 2024, that’s an 31% increase on the previous year. Behind every one of those deaths is a family completely shattered by the loss of their loved one. And yet, despite this devastating picture there has been no sense of urgency or collective action from the Executive.
“Suicide prevention isnot even mentioned in the Programme for Government. Strategies such asProtect Life 2 and theMental Health Strategywere launched with great promise, but they remain chronically underfunded and poorly scrutinised. Even basic, long-promised safety measures, such as improvements to the Foyle Bridge parapet, remain undelivered.
“Suicide rates arethree times higher in our most deprived areas. In places like Derry and Strabane, where poverty, housing insecurity, addiction and lack of opportunity intersect, mental health services are eitherbuckling under pressure or disappearing altogether. The loss of frontline supports, including community-based crisis services, is having real and dangerous consequences. This underlines the need for a joined up approach from departments.
“Suicide prevention cannot sit with the Department of Health alone. I welcome the launch of theAll-Party Group on Suicide Prevention Inquiry into cross-departmental funding, which is now open for evidence and I would strongly encourage people impacted by suicide to respond. This Inquiry needs to be a turning point.
“These are preventable deaths but preventing them requires urgency and leadership. The Executive must move beyond sticking plasters and commit tofully funding the Mental Health Strategy, properly resourcingProtect Life 2, and backing thecommunity and voluntary organisations that are often the last line of defence. Anything less is a failure of responsibility. This Executive has promised to do what matters most, nothing matters more than protecting lives.”
The inquiry will explore how investment in suicide prevention could be shared more effectively across Health, Communities, Justice, Education and the department for the Economy.
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
4
To continue reading this article, please subscribe and support local journalism!
Subscribing will allow you access to all of our premium content and archived articles.
Subscribe
To continue reading this article for FREE, please kindly register and/or log in.
Registration is absolutely 100% FREE and will help us personalise your experience on our sites. You can also sign up to our carefully curated newsletter(s) to keep up to date with your latest local news!
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy a paper
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.
