Marcella Corcoran Kennedy (Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am sharing time with him.

On behalf of the Government, I welcome the opportunity to restate its commitment to our mental health policy and the development and improvement of mental health services. Real and significant developments in mental health services have been initiated since 2012. At a time when other budgets were being cut, investment was prioritised and increased to develop mental health policy and services. Additional funding of €115 million wasallocated in the Health Service Executive's national service plans the peiod from 2012 to 2016, inclusive. In addition, budget 2017 has provided for additional spending of €35 million, on a full-year basis, on service enhancements to enable further improvements to be made across a range of areas. This funding will help to meet the key priorities to be addressed in the HSE's 2017 service plan, including youth mental health services, further improvements to child and adolescent and adult services, older people's services and an enhanced out-of-hours response for those in need of urgent services.

Recognising the time lag in new staff taking up posts and the completion of preparations for the introduction of these services, it is estimated that the revenue spend in 2017 associated with the increased allocation will be €15 million. There will also be a further additional spend of €9.7 million associated with increased pay costs. This will bring the mental health budget to €851 million in 2017, an increase of €140 million since 2012.

In addition, the Government has given the go-ahead for the construction of a new national forensic hospital at Portrane. This major health infrastructural project will benefit from significant capital investment in 2017, with spending on the new hospital and other more minor mental health projects planned to exceed €50 million next year.

New investment and personnel have been directed towards developing specialised mental health services. A commitment to increase mental health funding every year has been given and the Government will stand over that commitment.

I acknowledge the tremendous work of the HSE and the many voluntary and statutory agencies working for those who are often at the lowest point in their life when they seek treatment. With increasing demands and resource limitations, it is important that we work together for the benefit of service users to fully develop positive mental health policy and services that will underpin that policy into the future.

As well as ensuring the right services are in the right place to meet the mental health needs of the population, it is important to promote good mental health and try to prevent mental health difficulties arising. One of the key obstacles to health and wellness is excessive alcohol consumption, one of the key causes of mental health difficulties in Ireland. Alcohol is a contributory factor in half of all suicides and cases of deliberate self-harm; in 2014 one in three self-harm presentations was alcohol related. Three people a day are dying as a result of alcohol misuse, or 1,056 people annually. We must never forget that alcohol is a psychoactive drug and a depressant, if one consumes more than the body can process. It is a drug that reduces a person's ability to think rationally and distorts his or her judgment. In the long term it can cause mental health problems, leading to anxiety, stress, potentially depression and, sadly, suicide. As a nation, we must reduce our alcohol consumption and the forthcoming Public Health (Alcohol) Bill will help to address this issue. The Bill is a measured and evidenced based response to deal with the very real harm caused by alcohol. The seriousness of the problem we have with alcohol led to the renaming of the regional drugs task forces as the regional drugs and alcohol task forces. If we really care about the nation's health, every Member of the Oireachtas will recognise the importance of the Bill which remains a priority for the Government.

Listening to the very constructive contributions made by colleagues across the House, it is evident that there is a clear will across all political parties and Independent Members to modernise policies and services to bring us into line with current best practice and international norms, while retaining and further developing what is best about current HSE services which are meeting a very substantial demand across the country.

The Government is giving all Deputies a commitment that we will work with them to help to improve the lives of those affected by mental health issues. I recognise the support we have received across the House in this regard.

See this speech in context