The Government will make "very, very serious inroads" into the provision of a comprehensive national psychological service for schools, according to the Minister of State for Youth Affairs.
Mr Willie O'Dea was speaking at the presentation to him of recommendations on youth suicide by the National Youth Council of Ireland, its response to the report of the National Task Force on Suicide.
The task force had identified the age group 20-24 as the most vulnerable with regard to suicide, with 70 of 433 suicides in 1997 in this group. The second most vulnerable group was the next oldest, 25-29, who suffered 51 suicides in that year. In 1996, 61 people in the 20-24 age group killed themselves, up from 53 in 1995.
Ms Jillian Hassett, president of the council, said 162 people who committed suicide in 1997 were under 30, and it was a more common killer than road traffic accidents among young men aged between 15 and 29. She called for the full implementation of the recommendations in the report and the provision of adequate resources to make this possible.
She also sought a guidance counsellor for every school and a national educational psychological service available to all primary and secondary schools.
Mr O'Dea said male suicides outnumbered female suicides by six to one, but among young women the problem was parasuicide, attempted suicidal acts which did not result in death and were not necessarily intended to do so.
He also drew attention to the appointment of a further 15 school psychologists at a cost of £550,000, bringing the total number to 28. However, as at any one time 1,300 pupils were awaiting assessment, excluding those being referred by health boards and privately, he admitted that this was "woefully inadequate". A planning group had been set up and its report was with the Minister.