Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I was extremely disappointed by what the Government provided for mental health in this year's budget. It has provided just €24 million in additional funding. This is a decrease from the additional €50 million that was provided last year. This is woefully inadequate and shows the Government is out of touch with reality. It has not recognised the mental health challenges ordinary people are facing.

The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, announced an additional €47 million, which is still down on last year, yet the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Michael McGrath, said in his budget speech that there would be an additional "€37 million to fund the expansion of mental health services". The expenditure report stated that only €24 million in new funding is provided for mental health so let us drill down into these figures. Of the €47 million announced by the Government, €10 million is one-off funding that is unspent from last year. This €10 million cannot be used for new services or the employment of staff; it must be spent in the next 78 days. This is like rearranging the deck chairs on theTitanic. Some €13 million is for existing services and this funding was pre-committed so it does not represent additional funding. It is standing still money. We are left with a €24 million increase, which is a 52% drop on last year's increase. This is another smoke and mirror tactic by the Government. In the midst of a global pandemic and reports of people who are desperate for mental health supports, it has failed. It is out of touch, ideas and time.

The Government is banging the drum that €1.1 billion is allocated for mental health this year. To put that into context, this is almost the exact same amount that was allocated in 2008. It has taken 13 years to get back to 2008 levels. Budget 2022 means that only 5.1% of the health budget is for mental health when Sláintecare recommends that 10% of the health budget should go to mental health and international best practice recommends that up to 16% should be allocated. The State is in the grips of a mental health crisis that demands an emergency response and substantial ongoing funding commitments. This is a lost opportunity to significantly increase funding for mental health services. It again shows the lack of understanding by the Government of the shortfall in our services and the extent of the growing demands for mental health services.

I am constantly asked what Sinn Féin would do and it is simple. If I was a Minister for mental health, I would just put the needs of workers and families first. I would make it easier for people to access the mental healthcare they need when and where they need it. Sinn Féin not only produced an alternative health budget but we also produced an alternative mental health budget. Sinn Féin proposed an additional €114 million for urgently needed investment in child and adolescent mental health and primary mental healthcare services; expanding counselling to universal coverage; investment in dual diagnosis supports; access to 24-7 emergency mental healthcare; eight additional eating disorder teams across the State; a comprehensive perinatal service for the entire island; and other measures. It would have been the biggest investment in mental health in the history of this State.

Not only is this alternative budget fully costed by Department, it also has to go through the offices of my comrades, Deputies Doherty and Mairéad Farrell. The level of scrutiny Sinn Féin put into this means that if one decimal point was out of place, Deputy Doherty would have sent me back to the drawing board. If I was Minister for mental health, I would deliver on these promises and people would start to get the mental healthcare they need when and where they need it.

See this speech in context