Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There is not a single family across this island that has not been affected by the challenge of mental health issues. It is now accepted that one in seven adults will experience mental health challenges in any given year and that the real figures for suicide across the island of Ireland are as high as 1,000 people annually.

I want to ask the Tánaiste about the Mental Health Commission's annual report which was published on Monday. The State's mental health policy, A Vision for Change, has been in place since 2006 and the Mental Health Commission has undertaken a strategic review as part of developing a new strategic plan for 2016-2018. The commission's report illustrates how much remains to be done. This includes a need for independent monitoring of the A Vision for Change policy. Given that the policy is ten years old and allowing for increases in population and other demographic changes, I imagine the Tánaiste agrees that this is very urgently needed.

There are also significant issues around funding or the lack of funding. The current level of funding for mental health is still less than the 8.24% target based on the 2005 figures envisaged in A Vision for Change. The staffing levels are about 75% of the A Vision for Change recommended number. According to the Mental Health Commission's report, there is a serious deficiency in the development and provision of recovery oriented mental health services. This concept, which is about aiding a person's recovery rather than managing the illness, is crucial. The report states that the reason for this is the combined effect of poor manpower planning, lack of change in professional training schemes, cuts in public expenditure, delays in recruitment and a shortage of appropriately trained staff.

I do not have the time to go through all of the report's details but I would like to raise some very specific issues. One issue is 24-hour staffed community residences. The commission remains concerned that some of these are too large, have poor physical infrastructure, are institutional in nature and lack individual care plans. It goes on to say, which is very alarming, that there is a fundamental issue of identifying precisely the number of residences and people living in them. In other words, we do not know. This is an alarming revelation. The commission also expresses concern about the admission of children to adult services. In 2015, some 95 children were admitted to adult units. I am sure the Tánaiste will agree that this is totally unacceptable.

The Government has yet to introduce draft legislation to bring about the changes envisaged in the review of the Mental Health Act 2001 which was published in December 2014. My question is straightforward. Does the Tánaiste accept that the Government has to act on the findings of this report?

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