Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Butler and Minister of State, Deputy Feighan for their responses to the motion. My only disappointment is that while they said they will not oppose it, they are not supporting it.

A great deal has been already said so I do not propose to get into the nitty-gritty of the issues. It was mentioned earlier that the Government inherited this crisis and I accept that is extremely difficult. This Private Members' motion tabled by Deputy Ward, whom I commend on bringing it forward, sets out a number of measures such as the establishment of a talk therapy fund, emergency care within the private healthcare system to take the pressure off the public system, universal counselling in primary care services, address of the capacity issues in CAMHS and primary care, the training and education for counselling psychologists, 24-7 mental health services, and the multi-agency triage team ambulance service. These asks are reflective of the asks of Mental Health Reform, which has also called for an increase in the staffing levels of front-line and primary care specialist care, improved capacity and access to community care and special mental health services, and the Government to resource voluntary service providers that are struggling owing to reduced funding and so on.

As mentioned by many speakers today, we have debated mental health services many times. We are in bad place at the moment and there is the possibility of a major mental health tsunami coming down the road. We are a reactive rather than proactive society. We need to pool our resources and put in place preventative and proactive measures such that we will not be here talking about this again in six months' time.

I would like to comment on the Mental Health Commission report. While reading it, I had cause to shake my head a number of times. The level of non-compliance is disappointing. I recognise the work of those on the front line, including An Garda Síochána, the National Ambulance Service, the fire service and front-line staff and management within the mental health service, all of whom are overstretched and doing their best. Let this not be a talking shop. I appeal to everyone to get this done. It will cost in the region of €60 million, which is not a lot of money, but it will be a start in terms of saving people's lives. I urge all Deputies to support Deputy Ward's motion.

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