Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate. I compliment Sinn Féin on bringing forward this important topic in their Private Member’s time. This is the second opportunity in a short space of time that we have had the opportunity to speak to this issue here. I listened to the Minister of State say how we need to address services. Prevention, however, is equally important. It is key to get to people before they become severely depressed or need the services. Earlier this year, it took a national outcry and a debate in this House to force the then Minister for Health to reverse the decision to cut money from the mental health budget. That was before this Minister of State's time. It was not then described as a cut but as a time-sensitive cost saving. While I acknowledge that cut has been reversed, it is worrying that there is no specific commitment in the programme for Government in respect of how much additional funding will be allocated to mental health services annually.

The lack of funding and resources affects a fabulous service - Good 2 Talk - in my constituency, Longford-Westmeath. This service provides low cost counselling services for children and adults. Anybody can turn up with no appointment, no long waiting lists. It has yet to receive its 2016 allocation of funding or the be informed that the funding has been approved. It is operating on a shoestring, on donations and the goodwill of members of the general public who are fund-raising to enable it to provide the service. The Department of Health has approved the group. Will the Minister of State take note and come back to me with the reasons as to why this service is still waiting in October 2016 for its 2016 allocation? Where is the priority there?

I have two letters from families bereaved by suicide. No one knows the problem better than the Minister of State. One letter reads:

I am writing this letter with such anger at the state of the mental health system in this country, it is basically non-existent. I am writing this from personal experience. My dad passed away from suicide not even a month ago. I brought him to doc on call on Saturday the 2nd of July after he had a breakdown that morning. This doctor said he was suffering from stress and depression but sent him home. He presented himself to [] hospital on Monday the 4th of July. He told them he was suffering from stress and depression but they were just interested in finding a physical reason for his behaviour. After hours of scans, x-rays and blood tests they concluded there was no physical reason for his condition and sent him home. He was not assessed by anyone from the mental health team.

He attended his GP for the next couple of weeks and was on medication to treat his anxiety and depression. My dad tried to call the [local] primary care centre on Thursday the 4th of August to try to get help but they were on holidays until the 15th of August. He even said himself that there is no help out there for mental health. He was dead the next day.

We are so unbelievably heartbroken and angry that there was no help out there for him especially when he tried to get help. Even in this time of utter sadness, I wonder how many other families go through what we are going right now. I feel deep down that this could have been avoided if someone was willing to help.

In another case, a mother contacted me about her son, who took his own life. I will give a synopsis of the letter by asking the questions with which she ended the letter. She stated:

Why would nobody take my word when I was desperate for help? I explained to the staff that he was taking a knife into his room at night, taking overdoses eg. paracetamol, and had suicidal intentions. Everything was put down to alcohol. I was his Mam for 22 years so I had a better knowledge of [my son] than anyone else [yet] while in [hospital] he never received any counselling.

I have given the Minister of State two examples, but there are many other examples. Unfortunately, the only conclusion we can come to is that our mental health service is not fit for purpose.

The Minister of State has an incredibly difficult task on her hands, but that task will not be made any easier if she is not given the necessary resources to implement the change that must be brought about. A Vision for Change was published in 2006 with a deadline of 2016. It is now 2016 with only 75% of the proposals implemented. I urge the Minister of State to ensure, as the budget deliberations come to a conclusion, that the necessary resources are put in place in order that we can live up to the commitment given and that there is full implementation of A Vision for Change without any further delay.

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