Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I cannot indicate that to the Deputy but I will say that there are extensive and intensive ongoing discussions between the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Department of Finance and the Minister for Health, Deputy Varadkar, and the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch.

On the area of mental health funding, as is well known, the funding provided over the period of this Government and also the policy developments, some of which the Deputy mentioned, have been widely welcomed by different groups dealing with mental health issues.

The Deputy specifically mentioned adolescent and child mental health services, and also the issue of suicide potential in regard to young people. A new framework document for suicide prevention for the period 2015 to 2018 is being developed. That will build on the current strategy, which as I said has been widely praised by people involved in the area as being one of the best outlines of how to proceed in regard to a very important area of people's overall health and well-being. It will build on the current strategy, and the objective is to have the strategy and the framework in place and completed by the end of this year. Obviously, budget 2015 and the discussions of both the Minister, Deputy Varadkar, and the Minister of State, Deputy Lynch, with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, will then determine the specific allocation of resources.

The Deputy's question concentrated heavily on the number of beds. The objective with regard to young people would be to have them treated and assisted in a community health environment. That is generally reckoned to be the best way of approaching difficulties young people experience. The Deputy is aware that the number of community health centres is at 37. I do not know if he has had the opportunity to visit many of the new community health centres but the provision of community-based mental health services is a vital element in the development of these new centres.

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