Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We need to look at the funding increase in the mental health section within the Department of Health. Between 2011 and 2016 an additional €115 million was allocated at a time when the budget of every other section within the Department of Health was cut. There has been a focus on mental health and increasing the funding available for mental health services. In previous years we found that when funding was allocated, it was not spent. There has been an increase of almost 24,000 in the service plan for this year, with an additional €50 million for the national forensic mental hospital, which is very much part of implementing A Vision for Change.

This will allow us to outline the service plan which we are currently in the process of doing. The further development of counselling supports for those with mental illnesses for people over and under the age of 18 will form part of that plan. Our priority, and my priority, is to set out €35 million worth of projects that can be planned in a way that every single penny of the €35 million will be spent. The last thing I want is to stand here in one year and say we have not been able to spend all of our funding or that all of the allocated funding has not been spent. We are initiating €35 million worth of new development and new projects. Some €15 million of that will be spent next year. Almost an additional €10 million will be spent in increasing our staffing resources. This additional €10 million will go in to staffing wages which is an integral part of improving our services. If we do not pay our staff, if we do not retain our staff and if we do not attract new staff to the service then we will never reach those figures the Deputy speaks about. We need to continue to increase our funding, we need to continue to invest but we also need to plan and make sure we spend the money we say we will spend.

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