John Moloney (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

The estimated additional cost of implementing the report of the expert group on mental health policy, A Vision for Change, is €150 million over a seven to ten year period.

I am advised that of the €51 million provided in 2006 and 2007 for the implementation of A Vision for Change, about €30 million has been invested. It has not been possible to proceed with the other planned service developments because of competing expenditure pressures.

However, it is fair to point out that in its 2008 service plan the HSE prioritised the development of child and adolescent mental health services. This included the recruitment of eight additional child and adolescent mental health teams and the development of 18 additional child and adolescent beds at St. Anne's, Galway, St. Vincent's, Fairview, and St. Stephen's Hospital, Cork. The provision of these beds will increase the number of beds from a current provision of 12 to 30. Four of these beds have already been commissioned, with the remaining 14 beds to be provided before the end of this year.

Implementation of A Vision for Change is dependent to a greater extent on the remodelling of existing resources than on new additional funds. In this regard, the HSE has advised that its detailed implementation plan for A Vision for Change will be submitted to me before the end of the year.

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