Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Today is World Mental Health Day, and the Minister of State earlier referenced the HSE's mental health helpline. That phone number is not a replacement for the face-to-face care people need, and should never be advertised as such by anyone, though I am not suggesting that is what the Minister of State was doing. My fear is that that helpline will refer people to waiting lists. It is supposed to tell people about the supports and services available but we have been hearing in this Chamber and all through the budget debate that the services are not available. What are the people answering the phone going to tell people with mental ill-health who are distressed and have nowhere else to go? My colleague, Deputy Buckley, spoke about this subject with passion earlier because he knows about it first-hand. Where are these people when they ring the helpline? Where are they going to be directed? Are they going to be directed to a waiting list? They are already desperate and they do not need to be directed to a waiting list.

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