Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for her question. I know mental health and all the challenges people face are close to her heart. At every opportunity she gets she comes in here and raises these issues in a constructive manner. She was here again yesterday for the Private Members' business regarding mental health. I thank her for keeping mental health front and centre. It is hugely important.

We have never needed to put such a focus on mental health as we do at the moment. The Covid pandemic has come down hard on people and I hear the Deputy's concerns about that group of young people and the challenges they are facing. As we look forward to developing our roadmap to building a world-class healthcare system, including putting mental health front and centre, the Sláintecare vision is to achieve a universal single-tier healthcare system. We have a lot of work to do but much of it has started.

Our refreshed mental health policy, Sharing the Vision, is complemented by a national implementation and monitoring committee, NIMC, which will hold its inaugural meeting tomorrow at 11 a.m. We had a fantastic document previously in A Vision for Changebut not all of it was implemented and this time will be different. The NIMC will hold both me and the Minister for Health to account, as well as the HSE and the Department. This is the first time we have had clear oversight. To give the Deputy an overview of the independent make-up of the committee, it will be chaired by Mr. John Saunders, who is known from the Mental Health Commission. Mental health reformers are included, as well as psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, family representatives, minority groups, service users, representatives of Sláintecare and NGOs across the board. The most important thing we can do is to keep the issue of mental health front and centre at the moment.

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