Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, what assessment they have made of evidence from the Republic of Ireland of the high rates of suicide and premature deaths among Irish Travellers in the All Ireland Traveller Health Study 2010; and what evidence, if any, they collect in the UK in relation to suicide rates among Gypsy, Traveller and Roma residents.

No assessment has been made of evidence from the Republic of Ireland of the high rates of suicide and premature deaths among Irish Travellers in the All Ireland Traveller Health Study 2010.

There are no official statistics collected on suicide rates among Gypsy, Traveller and Roma residents in England. The Office for National Statistics, which produces official data on suicide rates in the general population based on registered deaths, advises that data would not be robust enough to produce any statistics on suicide by ethnicity.

Suicide prevention is a priority for this Government which is why we updated the National Suicide Prevention Strategy for England last year to strengthen its key areas for action.

The National Suicide Prevention Strategy makes clear that local authorities should tailor suicide prevention approaches to their local communities. Most local authorities now have a multi-agency suicide prevention plan in place. We expect local authorities to work with the National Health Service and other local services and professionals to ensure their plans are tailored to the demographics and associated risks of their local communities, including for groups such as Gypsy, Traveller and Roma residents.