Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister said that the move to reallocate €12 million of the mental health budget this year is not a "raid" by the Minister. This is rubbish. It is actually robbery. It is a robbery of money that is desperately needed by many in order to help them go about their day-to-day lives and ensure that they have the best possible chance to live and lead a happy life.

Should we be surprised? There is a very obvious pattern here. This so-called ring-fenced money has been targeted by the Department of Health and the HSE on an annual basis. The Minister has shown absolute contempt for those people who rely so desperately on the provision of mental health services. Dr. John Hillery, of the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland, has said that this decision reflects "an ambivalent attitude to mental illness by some decision-makers. This must be resisted as scandalous and discriminatory." I could not agree with him more.

Mental health has often been referred to as the Cinderella of the health system, with absolutely no parity of esteem shown between it and other physical illnesses. This is the case despite the fact that 644,000 people - one in seven adults - have experienced mental health difficulties in the past year. In addition to this, recent data from the HSE shows that there has been an increase in the number of children and young people receiving acute mental health inpatient care, with the number increasing from 290 in 2014 to 356 last year. Even more worrying is the fact that almost one in ten people admitted to adult mental health units in 2015 were 16 years of age or younger. Such revelations need to be addressed urgently.

The embezzlement of this money has angered staff, service users and families right across the country. I understand that the reallocation of €12 million of this year's mental health budget will be considered by a special meeting of the Psychiatric Nurses Association of Ireland's national executive committee on 11 May.

The agenda includes consideration of a ballot for industrial action in response to the staffing crisis in mental health services. The staffing crisis was confirmed by PNA at its meeting last week when figures from across the country showed there were up to 700 vacant posts in the mental health services and up to 1,000 nurses needed to fill current and expected vacancies.

The month of May is drawing near. Over the past few years, May has been designated a suicide prevention month. People wear green ribbons to show their support. The scourge of suicide has devastated communities. We cannot afford to treat mental health differently to any other illness. We must approach it exactly as we approach cancer. Mental health must be taken seriously as it is unquestionably one of the most important elements that contribute to our overall well-being. I emphasise the word "our". Services in this area must be prioritised. I ask the Minister to please note that enough is enough. People's lives depend on him in his current capacity - we do not know what lies ahead. I ask the Minister to give the most vulnerable in our society the best possible chance of living a happy and fulfilling life. Let us take our mental health seriously. Let us ensure that no mother or father has to bear witness to a son or daughter struggling to cope due to the inadequate level of available services. I ask the Minister to please ensure that the substantial sum of money is not taken from the mental health budget. The plunder has to stop.

I hope to see many Members of the House and newly elected Members of the Seanad in attendance at Thursday's proposed mobilisation, the national demonstration for mental health organised by Mental Health Reform and the Union of Students in Ireland and scheduled for 12. 30 p.m. outside the gates of Leinster House. That is an opportunity for us all to stand together behind mental health and to recognise the need for its proper resourcing.

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