Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. I do not accept that it is falling apart at the seams. I had a meeting with the Deputy, Deputy Browne and the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, just last week where we discussed all of this. Funding for mental health, as Deputy Martin knows, has gone up from €826 million last year to €853 million this year, 2017. Over 160 additional posts have been recruited for the HSE mental health area over January to March this year. Recruitment campaigns are carried out to fill further vacancies and they are under way. Sanction has been given and money provided to recruit 114 assistant psychologists to enhance the early intervention primary care counselling services for under-18s in particular and to relieve pressure on the specialist CAMH service. The development of a plan for a 7-7 mental health care improvement nationally has been progressed and is nearing completion. It has prioritised that all areas provide access to a weekend service for current service users and not have situations where nobody has access to a service if he or she needs it. A full mapping exercise is being carried out countrywide. The HSE, at present, is consulting with all of the personnel in the health sector area and assessing the resource implications to develop costed actions. In addition, of course, the construction of the new 120-bed hospital to replace the Central Mental Hospital in Dundrum after over a century, along with a new ten-bed forensic CAMHS unit and a new ten-bed mental health intellectual disability unit, has been advanced. The Minister expects to sign that contract very shortly. Award of the construction contract is due to happen quite quickly. It has been recently agreed that in addition, the contract will also include a new 30-bed intensive care rehabilitation unit.

These are all positive signs of progress in an area that was neglected for so many years and was, over 30 years, the Cinderella of many Health Service Executive Votes and Department of Health Votes. When former Deputy Dan Neville was in opposition on that side of the House, he raised this matter consistently. I am glad that the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, is making valiant efforts to deal with this.

Funding for this area includes youth mental health, improvement of the CAMHS and the adult services, services for older people, out-of-hours services, enhanced service user and carer engagement, perinatal mental health, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, ADHD, in adults and children, dual diagnosis of those with mental health and substance abuse issues, increased services to meet the needs of those with severe and enduring mental illness with complex presentations and improved specialist clinical responses through clinical programmes.

Deputy Martin raised a specific case in respect of 11 beds. I do not have the details of that here, but I will undertake to follow up on that for him. I know it is an issue of concern locally, and Deputy Browne might have referred to that. Believe me, the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, is working very hard in this area. The improvements I have outlined are long overdue and it is hoped they will make a significant improvement for the health, in particular the mental health, of children and young adults.

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