To ask the Minister for Infrastructure whether her Department plans to install suicide prevention barriers across high-traffic public bridges.

At the outset, I want to express my sincere sympathy to everyone who has been bereaved by suicide, and to acknowledge the profound and lasting impact this has on families, friends and communities.

I recognise the importance of developing suicide deterrent measures at high risk locations on our infrastructure and have met with the Mental Health Champion, Professor Siobhan O’Neill to discuss the issue and the work my department can do to make a positive contribution to suicide prevention.

The Westlink in Belfast and the Foyle Bridge in Derry have been identified as locations of concern where additional safety measures may be appropriate.

As part of my Department’s ongoing commitment to explore options for progressing suicide deterrent measures on Foyle Bridge, I allocated £150,000 in December to allow the structural assessment to commence early this year.

This assessment is currently underway, however due to the scale and complexity of the bridge, it will take a number of months to complete.

The outcome of this assessment will provide the technical basis for any future decisions on the feasibility of suicide deterrent barriers at the bridge.

At the Westlink, we are developing a pilot to increase parapet heights on Clifton and Divis Street Bridges, at an estimated cost of £1.8m, using a green living wall rather than standard metal railings.

Following the implementation of the pilot scheme on 2 bridges over Westlink, we will undertake an assessment of its effectiveness, and a further extension of the project may be taken forward at other related areas such as the M2 bridges.