Ms Fiona Coyle:

I will respond very quickly and we can follow up in writing afterwards. The Deputy is completely right. Our mental health services are primarily delivered by people. It is a people-based service. Staffing was an issue before the pandemic. In 2019, there were fewer staff in the mental health services than there were before the recession despite a 10% increase in the Irish population. In the 2020 service plan, staff numbers were 20% below recommended levels. There was an increase between 2019 to 2020, which indicates some progress. However, staffing and recruitment of staff continue to be a barrier to delivering a really effective mental health service. I know the Deputy is out of time but I am happy to follow up with more detail in writing afterwards.