Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The World Health Organization recommends that 12% of total health spend should be allocated to mental health care and, in Ireland, it was said that the figure is less than 7%. How do we compare to other countries in Europe with that spend?

Older people who have been cocooning, many on their own, have experienced increased isolation and increased pressure, and some may have early-stage dementia. There is a lot of concern that while older people have historically been very independent and very settled in their communities, they are particularly isolated. How can we improve our services for older people, particularly mental health services?