Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the Deputy that the mental health service was the Cinderella of the entire service for a long number of years. That is why the current Government ring-fenced particular funding to deal with the mental health service and to make it part of the normal quality of health service provided. As I pointed out to the Deputy, that is why €90 million in additional funding was put in place along with 1,100 posts to staff community consultancy teams and mental health action teams where necessary.

As I said, the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, has pointed out that there were consultations with everybody, including the professionals, working in the service, to bring about the best response. "A Vision for Change" was a document accepted by everybody. We have made very substantial progress and will continue with it. The nine suicides are tragic and are to be regretted as is every suicide and death that occurs of that nature. Clearly, the question of children who have died in State care is another matter of concern. Obviously, we have the statistics that point to where these tragic events happened also. Nobody wants to see a death occur by suicide or for any other reason where it can possibly be prevented. When one reads the reports, one can see the progress made since 2005 and we would like to continue to build on it through the allocation of appropriate resources in the budget later this year and in the future.

As I know from the west of Ireland, the move from the big psychiatric institutions has been beneficial for the vast majority of those who use community-based services now. We want to continue that.

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