Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I will come in there as it is something that overlaps both our briefs. As the Deputy would know, in 2023, I launched the clinical programme for dual diagnosis, which supports service users who present with mental health and a substance use disorder. In the mental health budget, there were 210 new whole-time equivalents. Ten of those posts are specifically for dual diagnosis to start up two teams. We want to move on the Keltoi programme as well in Dublin. It is a day centre at the moment but we want to move it to have inpatient beds. There is a lot of work being done on this programme to get it over the line. As I said, we only rolled out the clinical model of care in 2023 so I was delighted to secure the funding to invest ten whole-time equivalents into it in budget 2025. It will be a huge interaction going forward between the addiction and the mental health pieces.