Tynwald approves nine recommendations from suicide committee

Combined vote to take place in February after voting stalls

Tynwald has received a report into suicide prevention by the social affairs policy review committee, and has approved nine of its 13 recommendations so far (item six on the order paper).

Some have been amended - the first by Ramsey MHK Lawrie Hooper and numbers three, six and eight by Health and Social Care Minister David Ashford.

Mr Ashford has also proposed an amendment for recommendation ten.

The chair of the committee, David Cretney MLC, said he was concerned by proposed amendments to recommendations one and ten from the Council of Ministers.

He doesn't think that a joint strategic needs assessment proposed for recommendation one would be appropriate - a concern he said was shared by Director of Public Health Dr Henrietta Ewart.

Mr Cretney also said he would approve Mr Hooper's amendment to recommendation one, because it put a deadline on when the work should be completed by.

And the proposed amendment to recommendation ten lacks substance, according to Mr Cretney.

He also told the court that mental health services must be proactive when it came to keeping in touch with those who have sought out its help, as people in this frame of mind do not always keep appointments.

Following Mr Cretney's opening address, Health and Social Care Minister David Ashford got to his feet to respond, proposing a raft of amendments to the recommendations - five in all.

He defended the amendment to recommendation one.

Amendments to recommendations three, six, eight and ten were also put forward.

The wording of each of these five was changed completely.

Mr Ashford also repeatedly called for more joined-up thinking and cooperation between the relevant department and agencies.

During a debate which lasted more than two hours, a number of Tynwald members got to their feet to speak about the issue, including their own experiences of dealing with people in mental health crises, or who took their own lives ultimately.

Voting on the recommendations stopped on number ten, when the Keys and LegCo were in disagreement - the Keys approved (16 for, eight against), but LegCo (three for, six against) did not.

Mr Ashford called for a combined vote on it, which will take place next month now, along with the remaining three recommendations.