Joan Freeman (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Senator Devine has gone to vote so I will continue. My bugbear is when people say they need an increase in budget but we do not know how they are going to spend what they are to be given. We have the highest budget per capitain Europe for mental health, at €900 million, but we do not know how the HSE is spending massive amounts of it. They use the excuse Stephen Mulvaney used when asked about the IT system, which is that they do not have the system which can show what is being spent. I am always questioning how we can know that we need an increase.

Ms Mitchell seems au faitwith how money is being spent, such as when she said €3.5 million was for psychological services. That seems an awful lot of money for 114 psychologists and I would love to know how it is broken down. In the year since the budget I have been unable to get my head around the €35 million. Can somebody please explain, in very simple terms, what that figure means and at what stage we are with it?

It was said that we could save money by saving people, to the tune of €4 for every €1 invested. Why will the Government not do this? Why does it refuse to see the long-term saving from doing this properly? What is stopping it? I ask Dr. McDaid for real answers. We need the truth about what is preventing this Government and the HSE from improving our services.