21 January 2026
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.
Speaking this week following the launch if an 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 is not even mentioned in the Programme for Government. Strategies such as Protect Life 2 and the Mental Health Strategy were 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 are three 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 either buckling 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 the All-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 to fully funding the Mental Health Strategy, properly resourcing Protect Life 2, and backing the community 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.”