Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)

There is absolutely no doubting the Minister of State's long-standing commitment to and support for mental health, but it is time we stopped using the future tense on what we will do and use the past tense on what we have done. Would it not make more sense to appoint the director to manage all of these new initiatives? I would also like to call for the nursing course on intellectual disability to be retained. There is a need for those very specific skills required to work with people with intellectual disabilities. I understand there are talks about merging these courses which I think would be harmful.

We cannot talk about mental health without mentioning our late good friend, John McCarthy. When he spoke about the normality of madness, I think we have to push for the normality of the services. If I fall down and break my leg, it is quite normal and I can go to an accident and emergency department. If I have suicidal tendencies, if I feel I am having a breakdown or suffering depression, there is nothing normal about where I will go. Apart from not knowing where to go, there is also a stigma about it. That is a major objective that we must realise.

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