Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. Everyone in this House appreciates the terrible impact that Covid-19 has had on many people's mental health ranging from worrying about the virus to social isolation to people's loss of their jobs. That is something we specifically mention and put in the Covid plan released on Tuesday. This year, for the first time ever, the budget for mental health will exceed €1 billion, which is a considerable sum of money. From the most recent figures I have seen, although they may be old, as the Deputy said, we have seen a decrease in suicide in Ireland and a decrease in people self-harming. That is very welcome but we have a long way to go.

On the Deputy's specific question about the beds in Tipperary, I will have to ask the Minister to get back to the Deputy directly on that.

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