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

I acknowledge the work the Minister of State has done on the €53 million in debts. That was very welcome and did say it would work in a tangible way. To put it into context, the budget she has outlined is the same amount of money that was in the 2008 budget. We have not gone forward since 2008. We are still playing catch-up in the provision of mental health services.

The Minister of State mentioned the €47 million figure. If you break that down and go into it, €13 million is, as she said, for existing service levels. That is basically maintenance money to keep things going the way they are. It is standing still money. The €10 million is, as the Minister of State mentioned, one-off funding that must be spent by the end of the year. It is not for new services, staff, buildings or anything like that. That leaves the €24 million. Mental Health Reform recommended €85 million. The Sinn Féin alternative budget recommended €114 million be committed to mental health funding. I ask the Minister of State again whether she believes €24 million is an adequate response to the mental health challenges we are facing.

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