Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is accepted that there is anxiety and concern about mental health across the country. That has been expressed by the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, on many occasions, but it is also a fact that for 2017 the amount being allocated to the general mental health area is €140 million more than last year, at €851.3 million. The Deputy is right that this in itself does not deal with the matter but what does deal with it is the extent of assistance and help that is available and it is on that we should concentrate. That is why that community meeting, to which I referred, took place on 14 November. It was agreed at that meeting that safeTALK workshops will take place in the area to explain to young people about their value and worth as persons, of the assistance that is available for them, that if any person has a little problem or needs to talk to somebody that they do not need to be afraid to do that and that young people talk about this on a very regular basis. The work department of the HSE and the community are completing the local needs analysis. It is appropriate to say that the task force on mental health set up by the Minister of State is working through the communities to explain to young people that if they have an issue, a concern or an anxiety there is a lot of help available, and that is being channelled through the allocation for 2017. It is a case of having the resources we did not have there before, although perhaps they are not enough but a lot of help is available for a lot of communities. While it will not bring anybody back, it may well prevent somebody from taking that ultimate tragic step.

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