Dr. Joseph Duffy:

A number of members have asked what can they or the Government do. When we talk about an increase in spending, we need to think about the proportion of that that is spent on prevention and early intervention. We need to question that and ask about it. We often talk about an increase of X amount in the health budget or particularly in the mental health budget. We need to ask where that money is going. We have a fantastic policy and a real commitment to implementing it but are there adequate resources? So much of the health budget is spent before it is received because it is built on a year-to-year basis, as the committee will know. If there is an increase, how can that be focused? Can conditions be put on it in terms of looking at outcomes to see if that is going to have an effect, particularly as an early intervention? This area requires that support over a long term but if we are ever to change the narrative and the way we think, and I think we can and overall in terms of the size of the population we should be able to do it, it is about being much more direct and saying X proportion of funding must be in this early intervention area.