Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ministers of State for their presentations. It is an important area, because of the huge challenges posed by Covid. There is a huge problem in respect of the financial strain placed on everyone, especially those running small businesses and those who have lost their jobs.

People who have lost their jobs are worried about support for their immediate family. It is hugely stressful for young people as well. The Covid pandemic has highlighted a number of key areas for attention, one of which is mental health. It is important that we have an overall review of services. The HSE website states that there has been a 490% increase in access requests to the website over a very short period of time. That increase highlights the extent of the issue.

I want to raise three issues with the Minister of State. The first was already raised by a colleague, namely, the need for a dedicated director for mental health reporting directly to the CEO of the HSE. Is that recommendation being looked at and is consideration being given to moving forward with an appointment?

The second issue concerns the recommendation in A Vision for Change that a national mental health directorate be established. We need some clarification on that.

Finally, a member of my immediate family was involved in a mental health facility where nine out of 27 people died in a very short period of time due to Covid. Part of the reason was that there were six residents per room. It was impossible to control the spread of Covid in that setting. An overall review was conducted into community hospitals and HSE nursing homes and there is now a detailed plan set out for refurbishment and upgrading those facilities. Can there be an overall review of all mental health facilities in the country with a view to setting out a clear plan for how and when they will be refurbished and brought up to the standard that is required? That is extremely important and the review should be started now. During a debate yesterday, we heard that more than €709 million was not spent by the Government. Now is the time to prioritise projects such as what I am proposing. The funding is there. Let us get on with planning and delivering it. Will the Minister of State indicate whether a review is in progress in respect of all mental health facilities and, if so, whether it will be presented to the House, through the health committee, in the not too distant future?

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