Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

My second question will be general. Last week, I mentioned the mental health budget. Ireland spends just over 5% of its overall health budget on mental healthcare. According to Sláintecare, other European countries and the UN, we should be spending between 10% and 14%. Even Britain spends 13% on mental healthcare in the NHS. In the opinion of Mental Health Ireland and Mental Health Reform, how do we close that massive gap? If there is no political will to close it, we could still be talking about it in ten years' time. If someone in a mental health crisis receives an intervention at the right time, the outcome is very good. If people do not get mental healthcare at that time, the outcomes are dire. How do we close the gap in budgetary spend on mental healthcare?