Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I have said publicly that the money for the scheme will not be taken from other areas of the health service. In the budget for this year we estimated that it would cost approximately €37 million. The additional funding, for which we had to secure agreement from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, was signed off on by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Brendan Howlin. It will not be taken from any other budgetary area. We have not underspent in the area of mental health. Incidentally, we are still examining how we will spend the additional €35 million allocated for mental health services this year and have not yet made a decision on the matter. We are looking at different ways of providing services because clearly there is a blockage in delivering them. However, the funding for this scheme will not be taken from any other stream.

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