Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank all the Deputies for their interesting, valuable and informative comments on this Private Members' motion on mental health. I support the opening remarks of my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, about the opportunity we have today to discuss mental health.

People’s physical and mental well-being has been a priority for the Government at all times during the pandemic. This is reflected in the policies introduced to safeguard the well-being of the whole population, including targeted initiatives for priority groups.

The Government and mental health services have been particularly active in response to the pressures placed on people’s mental health due to Covid-19. In doing this, we recognise the importance of dealing with any non-specialist mental health issues, such as mild anxiety, before they become bigger issues. With this in mind, the cross-Government well-being campaign, Keep Well, promotes resilience and minding our physical and mental health. Some €7 million has been invested in this campaign, to support initiatives with a range of partners, including "Keeping in Contact", with the Community Call programme aimed at people who might be experiencing isolation and offering befriending services.

The interdependencies between physical and mental health are well known. The need for a whole-person approach to achieving good standards of physical and mental health and well-being has been recognised in formulating our mental health policy, as has the need to support the wider psychological aspects of physical health challenges.

The HSE service plan reflects a balance of prioritised new developments across the health sector. These include initiatives to improve national mental health through well-being programmes. In addition, the implementation of Sharing the Vision will have increased impact across all age groups, focusing on mental health promotion, early intervention, acute care, forensic inpatient care and postvention supports in the community. It is recognised that vulnerable groups, such as mental health service users, have been disproportionately affected by Covid-19. The cross-government group, chaired by Department of the Taoiseach, was established to co-ordinate support for these vulnerable groups.

Budget 2021 provided €175,000 for initiatives for victims of domestic violence and for the LGBTI community, and €5.5 million has been provided to enhance health services for people who are homeless and in addiction. Additionally, more than 1,400 additional beds were provided as part of the winter plan and in response to Covid.

It is acknowledged there are aspects of mental health services that require improvement. I would like to recap some of the comments made by the Minister of State, Deputy Butler and the Government’s commitments. Enormous work has been undertaken to improve our mental health services. Sharing the Vision has been published and the national implementation monitoring committee is driving its implementation. The suicide reduction strategy, Connecting for Life, has been extended by four years to 2024 to enable its continued implementation. The National Forensic Mental Health Service will relocate to a purpose-built new facility in Portrane and will open this year. The Mental Health Act 2001 is undergoing a major overhaul. The significant allocation of in excess of €1.1 billion for mental health in budget 2021 not only will enable us to continue to run our mental health services but also will allow us to enhance and develop new services and supports.

I thank Members for the opportunity to discuss the very important issue of mental health and for their input, which will assist us in improving services.

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