Catherine Ardagh (Dublin South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I rise to speak about the Loreto Centre Crumlin in Dublin 12. It is a trusted and vital mental health and community support service that has been serving families, individuals and young people in Crumlin and Dublin South-Central more widely for more than 25 Years. The Loreto Centre Crumlin was founded by the Loreto order of nuns and has grown over the decades into a cornerstone of the community. It provides counselling, education and support services to those in crisis or in need of emotional and mental health support. It is widely relied upon by local GPs and residents and plays a unique role in meeting the mental health needs of those in an the area that is often, as we know, underserved.

The centre delivers approximately 3,000 units of counselling per year. This is a remarkable achievement in itself, even more so when we consider that all of the therapists and the clinical director work on a voluntary basis. There is one permanent member of staff, supported by six community employment workers and one job initiative worker. This speaks volumes about the dedication and heart of those involved but also highlights the fragility of this funding model.

On 21 October 2024, the Loreto Centre Crumlin submitted a funding application to the head of mental health services in the Department of Health requesting multi-annual financial support. That application is still pending and the centre is now operating with an annual deficit of nearly €50,000. It is unsustainable to continue without secure funding and the centre may not survive. This would be an enormous loss to the community and a huge setback for the broader effort to provide local, accessible, community-based mental healthcare.

I cannot overstate the importance of protecting and strengthening organisations such as the Loreto Centre Crumlin. They embody what we mean when we talk about community-led health provision. They offer compassionate local support at a very low cost to the State and with extraordinary levels of volunteerism and public benefit. Investing in this centre is not only morally right, but also represents a high-impact, value-for-money commitment to mental health in an area that truly needs it. I urge the Minister of State to prioritise the review of this funding application and to commit to supporting the Loreto Centre Crumlin for 2025 and beyond. The service it provides is not a luxury; it is a necessity. Without it, we risk failing those in our society who are struggling the most.

I would like to personally extend an invitation to the Minister of State or to senior representatives from her Department to visit the Loreto Centre Crumlin and see the work done there, meet the volunteers and meet the clients and families who rely on this incredible resource. Seeing it first hand will powerfully demonstrate the need to preserve and support what has been built there. I look forward to the Minister of State's response.

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter in the House. I commend the Loreto Centre Crumlin on the good work it does, which last year saw the centre providing counselling services to 230 clients in the community, with almost 3,000 counselling sessions recorded in 2024.

I understand that, in recent years, the centre has received funding from a number of public bodies, including Tusla, the Department of Social Protection, the City of Dublin Education and Training Board, Dublin South City Partnership and Dublin City Council. The centre does not currently have any funding relationship with HSE mental health services.

It is a priority of Government to promote positive mental health and reduce the burden of mental health difficulties for all, supported by substantial investment in mental health services each year. This includes significant investment in mental health voluntary and community organisations, which receive substantial funding of €110 million euro from the mental health budget each year. This includes national organisations such as Mental Health Ireland, Pieta, Shine, Jigsaw, the Samaritans, MyMind, BeLonG To and many other smaller regional organisations doing vital work in their communities. Funding to regional voluntary and community organisations is arranged through the section 39 process, administered by HSE mental health services locally, once necessary criteria are met and where a need has been identified. All such organisations must make an application for section 39 funding, which is then assessed by regional HSE mental health services and advanced depending on a variety of conditions, such as the organisation supplying the required clinical and corporate governance information, local operational and clinical considerations and the HSE's budgetary constraints.

I understand a meeting took place in recent weeks between the HSE and the Loreto Centre Crumlin to explore the current issues facing the service. The HSE reports that the legal status of the service is in flux, as the service and building are currently being transferred from the ownership of the Loreto Sisters to a new entity to be established by a committee made up of members of the local community. The committee has advised the HSE that it intends to form a company limited by guarantee and apply to the Charities Regulator for charitable status for the new entity.

There is no existing relationship between the Loreto Centre Crumlin and the HSE, but the recent meeting explored the current funding of the centre's services and the financial situation facing the organisation at this time. I understand the committee is planning to use existing funds to refurbish the centre's therapy rooms and to bring six new therapy rooms into service after which there will be approximately 15 months of running costs left in its reserves. The HSE advises that further discussions are required between local leadership in the regional health area and the service to discuss the scope of the service it wishes to provide on behalf of the HSE. The HSE must be assured that the proposed new legal structure, which has been established, is compatible with the required corporate governance structures for the administration of section 39 funding. The HSE must also be provided with an indicative timeline for the completion of the establishment of the new structure and the composition of the governing body of the new structure along with the proposed arrangements for clinical governance under the new structure. Ensuring the correct corporate and clinical governance is in place is standard across all organisations. It is particularly important for any organisations that will be potentially providing talk therapies on behalf of the HSE as a recipient of public funding. They are essential and appropriate steps on the road to providing funding to any organisation. The HSE is not in a position to provide funding in the absence of the information necessary to provide assurance and corporate and clinical governance, but it is happy to continue engaging with this organisation.

Catherine Ardagh (Dublin South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for her response. I must respectfully state that the situation with this centre is now urgent. The suggestion that the centre should be a section 39 agency is understood but the process for becoming a recognised section 39 funded body is opaque, lengthy and deeply under-resourced. In the meantime, the centre is expected to maintain 3,000 units of counselling per year with only one salaried staff and the rest of the team working voluntarily. I am asking for interim financial support or at the very least a departmental liaison to be assigned to assist the centre in preparing and progressing its section 39 application. It cannot do this alone, especially without the stability of short-term funding.

I urge the Department to not treat this a box-ticking funding issue, but as a public health concern. The Loreto Centre Crumlin is an early intervention service that prevents more serious mental health crises from developing and it does so in an exceptionally efficient manner.

I again invite the Minister of State to visit the centre. She will see that the value of its work speaks for itself.

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I assure the Deputy that any applications that come for funding are not treated as box-ticking exercises. Ensuring the correct corporate and clinical governance is in place is particularly important for any organisation that will potentially be providing talk therapies on behalf of the HSE.

The most appropriate avenue for the application for funding is through the section 39 process administered by regional HSE mental health services management. That is how it works throughout the country. Through this process, it can be determined whether the necessary criteria are fulfilled and what service need exists. I am glad that the HSE is already engaging with the centre. I expect that the engagement will continue as the committee progresses the restructuring of the governance of the service. I accept that such processes and applications can take time and I recognise the challenges faced by the Loreto Centre Crumlin and the good work that is undertaken there. However, these steps are essential and the HSE is not in a position to provide funding in the absence of certainty as to the legal status, the clinical governance arrangements and the financial sustainability of the organisation. The HSE is available, however, should any guidance on the necessary work be needed. I encourage the Loreto Centre Crumlin to continue to engage with the HSE locally on this matter. My Department and I will continue to liaise with the Deputy. I can arrange to pay a visit to see the good work that is undertaken there to see if we move this on.