The following motion was moved by Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin on Tuesday, 1 July 2014:That Dáil Éireann: notes that:— mental health is an issue of vital concern to the nation in general and should be of special concern to policy-makers and legislators in particular; — mental health services must be designed and delivered to aid the recovery of the individual; — a person-centred approach is vital to the achievement of the best results; and — the 2013 Annual Report of the Mental Health Commission, published on 25 June 2014, has highlighted many of the key issues and requirements for action by Government; affirms: — its continuing commitment to the implementation in full of A Vision for Change; — its commendation of the work of the Mental Health Commission; — its support for the work of the National Office for Suicide Prevention; — its appreciation of those non-Governmental organisations, national, regional and local who actively promote positive mental health and seek to reduce the incidence of suicide and self-harm; — its commitment to eliminate the stigma in relation to mental illness; and — that the mental health of each citizen and of the nation as a whole is a positive resource that contributes to our general social, cultural and economic well-being; and calls on the Government to: — ensure a consistent high standard of care and support for all requiring access to mental health services; — provide for independent monitoring of the roll-out and progress towards full implementation of A Vision for Change; — commit to an annual allocation of €35 million for the development of community mental health teams and to make good any shortfall in any given year in the subsequent year's allocation; — properly resource mental health services across the board, including the provision of appropriate and adequate staffing and with a key focus always on recovery; — promote awareness of the unacceptability of certain practices and continue to discourage their use, for example, the application of electroconvulsive therapy on detained persons against their will; — end the practice of admitting children to adult psychiatric units; — progress relevant legislative undertakings including completing the ongoing review of the Mental Health Act 2001 and to bring the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Bill 2013 through Committee and Remaining Stages; — require the Health Research Board to again carry out a national survey of psychological well-being and distress, last carried out in 2005-2006, and to continue to conduct such a survey at regular two or three yearly intervals; — ensure a cross-departmental response to the risk of suicide and self-harm, including from the Departments of Health, Education and Skills, Children and Youth Affairs and the Environment, Community and Local Government; — provide the necessary resources to establish and sustain a 24-7 crisis support service for people experiencing severe mental or emotional distress, to operate in conjunction with the local community mental health teams; — arrange for greater co-ordination of all existing suicide prevention initiatives across all sectors and groups working in the area; — ensure the prioritisation of address of the mental health needs of marginalised communities; — guarantee that the new national strategic framework for suicide prevention will place mental health awareness among children and young people at the top of its programme; and — provide an appropriate accessible alternative to general accident and emergency department presentation to victims of self-harm.

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