Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We do not want to be overly political on this issue. It was more or less embraced by the Irish people in the context of the children's referendum. They spoke loudly that they wanted supports put in place. It was not just about children's rights at the time; it was also about resources. People were clear that a commitment had to be made not only to fulfil the rights obligation, but that resources would be put in place.

By any stretch of the imagination, the commitment of the Tánaiste's Government has not been great in the area of mental health. Some €35 million was ring-fenced but only €20 million of that was spent. We are still waiting for the recruitment processes outlined in that programme to be completed. The number of career guidance counsellors in schools was cut in previous budgets. We talk about commitment to the area of young people's mental health but the bottom line is that the money has not been put in place. The resources have not been put in place. In terms of an admission by this Government, €35 million was ring-fenced for mental health in the programme for Government and only €20 million of that was spent. We are still going through the recruitment process that should have been completed last year. In the meantime, Save our Sons and Daughters, and other advocacy groups which advocate on behalf of the most vulnerable, are saying clearly that young people who have mental health issues have nowhere to go to seek treatment and support and are being admitted to adult psychiatric units, which is unacceptable according to everybody involved in the treatment of adolescents with mental health issues.

While I do not expect the Tánaiste to outline the budget, even though she was good at outlining parts of previous budgets, we want a commitment from the Government that the commitments in the programme for Government with regard to mental health, recruitment and places for adolescents suffering from mental health issues will be fulfilled.

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