Ms Siobhán McArdle:

What I mean is that when we see areas that are under pressure in terms of higher demand, we put the increased funding towards those.

For instance, in the current year we have increased the funding to dual diagnosis services because we know there is an underdelivery of services for people who are coping with both addiction and mental health issues. We now have a model of care, which tells us what "good" will look like and we are now rolling out the provision of those services for both adults and adolescents in different hubs around the country. When the evidence tells us there is an increased demand or a growing need for something, that is how the funding is also being allocated. I welcome the Deputy's proposal around the need increasing.