James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Having worked for 20 years as a visiting general practitioner to St. Ita's, I know psychiatric treatment, intellectual disability and mental health services have been the Cinderella of the health services. We are doing everything in our health policy to address that. For example, primary care centres must have a mental health facility that will destigmatise this issue so that people will feel just as comfortable going into the centre with a mental health issue as they do with a physical health issue. All the newer hospitals have mental health facilities on their premises as opposed to the old way of separating people out. St. Ita's, for example, was put down the end of a peninsula. Originally, it was intended to put it on Lambay Island, out of sight and out of mind.

All sides of the House are committed to A Vision for Change. I, along with the Government and the Taoiseach himself, are committed to it. The HSE has assured us the delays in filling the posts last year will not happen this year. We will monitor it to ensure progress is made in this regard.

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