Maria Corrigan (Fianna Fail)

I call on the Leader to organise, as a matter of urgency, for the Minister for Health and Children to come to the House early in the new year for a focused debate on mental health. The debate should focus on the implementation of A Vision for Change. In its briefing last week, the HSE informed us that it hoped to have a draft implementation plan by the end of December. It is unacceptable that it is talking about a draft implementation plan two years on from the adoption of A Vision for Change.

Can we have some clarification on what happened to the moneys allocated for mental health services in budget 2007? Comments made this morning by people involved in the area mentioned that moneys allocated to mental health ended up elsewhere. It is urgent to ensure that moneys allocated in a budget for a specific project are spent on that project. There is agreement in the House that mental health is a priority issue. Any moneys allocated to the area should be spent on it. It is urgent that there should be some accountability to the Seanad and to the Minister for Finance with regard to where the moneys allocated for mental health services in budget 2007 went.