Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

When one is Minister for Health one is criticised probably ten times before breakfast, and often correctly, so I am not afraid of criticism in this regard. It has not been brought to the Government. It has been brought to a Cabinet committee but it has not been approved by the Government. Frankly, I find it hard to mount an argument to what the Deputy said. I will give a commitment to revert to the Deputy by the end of this week and see if it is possible to bring it to the Government, as I will have to get permission to do that. I believe an early and quick publication of this is important for the reasons the Deputy has outlined. Mental Health Reform makes the point, and I am not trying to speak for the organisation, that it does not wish to see another ad hocor willy-nilly process put in place. It wants it to be aligned with A Vision for Change. That makes sense and its representatives told me that when I met them.

I have not seen the letter from the parties and groups, but I will respond to it by the end of this week with a view to seeing if I can get permission to bring it to the Government immediately.

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