Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Minister of State for her reply. As she quite correctly stated, the time for talking is over. The A Vision for Change document has been available since 2006 and it is appropriate that action should be taken on it as six years have elapsed. Much work has been done and I cited figures earlier on the number of people who have moved out of institutional care into the community. Nevertheless, while I do not doubt the Minister of State's commitment to the mental health brief, six months have passed since the last budget. While the €35 million is welcome, I note it remains within the Minister of State's back pocket. I would much rather see it being spent in the community.

Many people who are suffering from mental health issues are presenting themselves every day to their local GPs and many others do not know where to go to get the appropriate action. The board of the HSE was abolished with great fanfare last year and still we wait on the direct position to be established for mental health. There is too much of a delay, and while that is not always the responsibility of the Minister of State as things can be tied up in bureaucracy, I urge her to push ahead to deliver the 414 professional places to the community mental health services and to get the money out of her back pocket and into the community.

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