Debate contribution: Mental Health Provision in Northern Ireland

Debate contribution by Mr Robbie Butler on 30 September 2024.

MLA

Mr Robbie Butler

Party at the time

Ulster Unionist Party

Date

30 September 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Opposition Business

Heading

Mental Health Provision in Northern Ireland

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4563499

Read the official Assembly record

Text

The very important motion and amendment, call on us to face the stark and distressing reality of mental health service provision and how people across Northern Ireland are suffering. As already outlined, regrettably, we find ourselves in a situation where more people have tragically lost their lives to suicide than to the Troubles. However, it would be absolutely remiss of us not to understand that the nature of our Troubles is being played out in intergenerational trauma, which obviously has an impact on the high prevalence of suicides, mental health issues and addictions in this country. I ask the mover of the motion to reflect on what I will say. I understand fully why he and his party are reluctant to accept the amendment. However, when I read the next paragraph, I ask him to reflect on it and take me at my word, because having this gentleman, Mike Nesbitt, as the Minister of Health in the Executive is better than a rubber stamp on any Programme for Government in this sense, and I hope that the Member will listen in. As we reflect on the magnitude of this crisis, we must also acknowledge the tireless efforts that have been made over the past number of years to address mental health. I will give the man sitting to my left the credit for that, because, in 2015, Mike Nesbitt, as the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, commissioned the first stand-alone policy paper on mental health from any political party in Northern Ireland. That groundbreaking moment sparked conversations in the Chamber that I, with pride, will always be grateful that I was able to have, because, in 2016, he appointed me as the dedicated mental health spokesperson. I am not sure whether that was a first for any party in the UK, but it certainly was on this island. That demonstrated our commitment and that of this gentleman, the Health Minister and Ulster Unionist Party leader, to tackle the issue. However, we need to be clear that, whilst progress has been made, it has been painfully slow. Only through sheer determination and doggedness did the Ulster Unionist Party manage to achieve an agreement in 2020 on a 10-year mental health strategy as part of the New Decade, New Approach deal. We also secured the appointment of an independent mental health champion. Those were critical steps forward, albeit they were not enough, and they were taken in the face of objections to achieving them previously. I stand before you today not to celebrate those milestones but to remind us of the work that still needs to be done. The motion calls on the Minister of Health to work with Executive colleagues to:

"make the prevention of suicide a priority across all Departments".

That is because one Department alone fulfilling responsibilities for the health service is not enough to address societal issues that require a whole-of-government approach. Mental health is affected by education, housing, employment, social services and, as has been picked out, poverty, to name but a few factors. If we do not recognise that interconnectedness, we are setting ourselves up to fail. We must also recognise the particular vulnerabilities of different groups, such as young people, especially those who are affected by adverse childhood experiences, including trauma, poverty, bullying, particularly online, and unmet or undiagnosed mental health needs. The fact that those people remain on long waiting lists for essential services hurts us all. It is not just tragic. If people are left unattended, that is a dereliction of our duties. Women, particularly those who are in the perinatal phase and those who have been affected by violence or abuse, are at greater risk of poor mental health and suicide. Let us not forget the stark reality that men are four times more likely to die by suicide. Those statistics are not just numbers; they represent lives cut short, families devastated and communities left in mourning. What underpins the failure to transform mental health services? Many will focus on funding, but — I am not pointing the finger here — we have to face the truth that, in some part, the failure to transform comes from the lack of effective government and governance. Between 2017 and 2019 and between 2022 and 2024, Northern Ireland suffered from political instability whereby government collapsed. Those five years without a functioning Executive have not just stifled progress but added to the burden on those who are suffering poor mental health. I will accept that it was, perhaps, without intent, but it is an unmitigated fact that I will face anybody on. We should be talking about health and suicide ideation until we have fixed them. I spoke about the need for interconnectedness. This is where that comes from. The Protect Life 2 strategy provides a blueprint for action. It:

"sets ambitions which will only be achieved by working together across government departments and with stakeholders from all sectors of society. Effective prevention is a collective responsibility. It requires a sustained collaborative and co-ordinated response across government, statutory and community services".

How can we achieve that if there is no functioning government to take ownership of those challenges? I call on everyone to recognise that today.

871 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:06 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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