Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change) | Oireachtas source

First, I welcome these statements on World Mental Health Day. It is vital we mark what has become a crisis that has touched practically every family in the country. I wish to express my solidarity with the many people suffering with mental health and depression, with those families who have lost loved ones to suicide, and also people working within the mental health services. Everybody should be recognised not just today but every day into the future.

Today needs to be a reminder of how far we have to go and not just where we have come from.

Mental Health Reform, comprising 84 organisations that work on mental health issues, described our mental health services as experiencing persistent underfunding, which has a long-term impact on the mental health system. It has said that people face long delays for treatment, inconsistent standards of care and severe staffing shortages. While the increase in mental health services in the budget was welcomed by Mental Health Reform, it fell €55 million short of the funding it had called for. Mental health funding still represents only about half of the 10% of health funding promised under Sláintecare.

While our mental health services increasingly struggle to deal with increased need and budgets which are too low, the issues which massively affect mental health get worse. The stress of a cost of living crisis which affects the most vulnerable in society has meant that people already struggling to make ends meet face more fear and distress over keeping food on the table or their homes warm. I acknowledge the extension of the hot school meals programme, which will take a certain level of pressure off people. However, those in receipt of the working family payment should also receive the fuel allowance because it would remove stress from families who need support of that nature. That was not in the budget.

Record homelessness and a worsening housing crisis have meant a significant portion of the population face the effects of skyrocketing rents, increased mortgage payments and little or no protection from evictions. These issues face those who are lucky enough to be able to find a home they can afford. I am dealing with a family who have a young son with special needs. The family received a termination notice and went to inquire about the cost-rental tenantin situscheme. The housing agency would not match the €340,000 bidding in place. That sum in an area like Inchicore is not very much. I cannot understand why the housing agency would not match the figure. The family may face eviction on 17 October, which is putting huge stress on them at a time they need support from the State. I ask the Minister of State to look into the case. I asked the Minister for housing to examine the case and received a standard reply with which I am not happy. We should put more structures in place and support more families facing these situations. Many households have adult children who are unable to leave the family home, which causes overcrowding. I regularly see multigenerational families stuck in two- and three-bed homes, which causes a significant amount of mental health difficulties.

The annual attitudes to health mental health stigma 2024 report revealed that 37% of people say their work has a negative impact on their mental health. St. Patrick's Mental Health Services said workplace mental health needs to be prioritised. This is while workers, especially those in low-paid and high-stress sectors, do not have legal access to a trade union which could represent and protect them from workplace mental health issues and unfair work practices, as well as issues such as bullying. It also means that workers have no real access to effectively organise for their own pay and conditions.

We have multi-billion euro budget surpluses. If we had the political will, we would build world-leading mental health services and could make real progress on the social and economic issues which cause and worsen mental health issues. I contacted Mental Health Reform to ask whether it had three or four issues it wanted to raise. The reply I received referred to trying to get the Bill passed before November, before the Dáil goes into election mode, even if this means less discussion. It said there is much consensus on bulk of the Bill and it has been ten years in gestation. That should be discussed at committee and perhaps we should try to put it through as quickly as possible.

Mental Health Reform also asked that we change the "term mental health disorder" to "mental health difficulties", as the term "disorder" is stigmatising. It also requested that we reduce the proposed review period for the Act from ten to five years and completely outlaw the practice of detaining young people or children in adult mental health facilities. Mental Health Reform also raised the lack of funding, etc.

The Minister of State has been a positive advocate for mental health funding, but given the past five years of the Government in general, I would question the political will to take real mental health action because we are still struggling in terms of services.

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