Ms Fiona Coyle:

The Deputy brought up a very personal question around digital platforms and mental health. Mental Health Reform recently launched a report with the HSE mental health engagement and recovery office. It was a substantial piece of work looking into digital inclusion and access to mental health services. As part of that report, the migrant and ethnic minority communities and the Traveller and Roma communities were identified as groups that are very digitally excluded but it also noted that there are huge opportunities to leverage in relation to the opportunities digital platforms or digital tools give us around access to culturally competent services and reduced barriers to accessing mental health services. Transport in rural Ireland can be a huge barrier for those in centres. There are also inreach opportunities for bringing particular trauma-informed services into the services. The report also found that these groups are digitally excluded at the moment. There are huge hardware issues like access to laptops, phones and all of that and also access to the Internet. In the centres and on halting sites, there is no privacy. These individuals from these groups can often be at risk of what is called double jeopardy because they have their mental health issues but they are also digitally excluded, which is another burden that impacts their mental health difficulties. That report has a number of recommendations. The world is moving at pace; digitalisation is happening fast. We need to look at those communities that do not have access to these digital tools because there are huge opportunities there, but they are being excluded and that is adding to their burden. I would be happy to share that report with the committee.