Meeting of the Parliament 21 January 2014
Potentially, within what Mr Stewart says is the germ of an idea that goes way beyond politicians. Children who have suffered might well be a source of information or support to others who find themselves in a similar situation.
Willie Coffey said that members will know of people who have committed suicide. I had not reflected on that until he said it, and I suddenly realised that my grandmother’s sister, of whom I was enormously fond and who had a great influence in bringing me up as an infant, committed suicide. In fact, I was not told about that until I was in my 30s.
I also realised that another relative died in circumstances that I have never been able to determine and that I imagine were suspicious. They were of that age and time that Nanette Milne mentioned when nobody wanted to discuss suicide or admit to it. Also, a friend’s wife committed suicide quite unexpectedly—she was the last person one would imagine would do that. The tragedy was that her husband then developed and died from lung cancer and left three adopted children. That is the sort of personal tragedy with which people are left to deal later on.
The minister obviously enjoys the support of all parties and all members, and we welcome the strategy. In his closing remarks, I would like him to tell us how he will ensure that there is a sustained effort to give focus to implementing the commitments in the strategy, to energise people and to ensure that the results are assessed. I would also like him to tell us how he will ensure the one-to-one-contact and the engagement that, together with the practical actions, underpin much of his strategy. That will obviously be beyond the strategy, but I would like to see further evidence of it contributing to additional reductions by which we all hope to see measurable progress.