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

I thank the Deputy for his comments. He is spot on about mental health and I could not agree more. We still do not know what impact Covid-19 and the lockdown have had on people's mental health. It will vary a great deal from those who have been bereaved to people who have been stuck in their homes, younger people and those affected by the increase in domestic violence. I am sure that the Deputy will concede that something not being specifically mentioned in a document does not mean it is not important, or not important to the Government. There is a specific section on mental health in the Covid-19 recovery plan and that was backed up by additional funding for mental health agencies. When the pandemic is over, and it will end, there will still be many wounds to be healed and among those will be some related to people's mental health as well as their physical health.

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