Mental Health Reform has been calling for a such a system in budget submissions since 2013. It is not acceptable that more than 12 years after publication of A Vision for Change,there is no information system to account for the more than €800 million to €900 million in public expenditure on mental health care each year. On HSE structure, there has been substantial reorganisation of management of mental health services since the publication of A Vision for Change including the appointment of a national director for mental health in 2013 with overall responsibility for a distinct mental health budget and delivery of mental health services. Further restructuring of governance and accountability structures in the HSE in 2018 has led to the dissolution of the HSE's mental health division and national director of mental health position. It is vital that coherent leadership in mental health at national level is not lost in the new HSE structure and that there is clear authority and accountability for a distinct national mental health budget each year. Aside from the moral and social implications, there is a strong economic basis for investment in mental health services. The World Health Organization, WHO, recognises that mental health influences a wide range of outcomes for individuals and communities. It is both a cause and a consequence of social and economic status. The WHO further identifies that in order to improve the mental health outcomes of the population, Government must focus on facilitating a mental health in all policies approach in which “policy makers across all sectors think in terms of mental health impact”. Such an approach should also be applied in the context of mental health proofing of budgets. Ultimately, this means taking account of the mental health impact of budgetary decisions on the population, including individuals with existing mental health difficulties, across a multitude of areas, such as social protection, housing, employment, education, and early years. Given the scale of money involved in mental health, the lack of transparency about how mental health funding is spent and considering the lack of systems in place to track and support this spending, our specific appeal to the committee today is it takes on accountability in mental health funding and expenditure as an immediate priority in budgetary oversight.