Pat Gallagher (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

What happened last year, where funding was not fully used for mental health developments, is not to recur, and this has been made clear to and is accepted by all concerned.

As in all areas of health, we are making progress in mental health. For example, admissions to Irish psychiatric units and hospitals are continuing to decline from 25,985 in 1997 to 20,288 in 2006 — a 22% decrease. The introduction of the Mental Health Commission has also been a significant step forward for patients.

All the Ministers involved in health and the whole Government are determined to keep up the daily work to continue to make measurable progress across all areas of health.

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