Paul Bradford (Fine Gael)

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate. I do not have any professional qualifications in this field but the subject of mental health has been high on the political and health agenda in recent years. That is a welcome development, and the action and involvement of people such as the Minister of State, Deputy Moloney, has helped in that regard.

Mental health is no longer a taboo subject. We all have some words of wisdom on the matter but we are talking about the effect of the recession on mental health. I agree with what my colleague, Senator Buttimer, said about ensuring funding and investment levels continue. We all appreciate that the Government faces a difficult financial position but some areas must be sacrosanct in so far as that is possible, and I hope that mental health funding will be in that area of safety.

I had not intended to speak on this matter but having been in the Chair and listened to my colleagues' contributions, it struck me that we, as politicians, have a duty in these difficult economic times to perform our politics in a way and using language which does not depress the country. Political practice and party political gamesmanship in Ireland and in most European countries over the decades have been practised in a way that is confrontational. In recent times the observer of Irish politics would have noticed that, generally speaking, we are now talking the language of Armageddon. We are going from recession to depression to almost the end of Ireland as we know it. It is frightening for people when they listen to the radio, watch television or read the newspapers. They see nothing but bleak headlines, and an air of almost total despondency, despair and hopelessness is created. That is having a profoundly negative impact on citizens.

Senator Ó Brolcháin mentioned that many people now do not wish to listen to programmes on the radio. They certainly do not wish to listen to news programmes or read the newspapers because it is all bad news. There is a responsibility on every citizen to be at least reasonably aware of the state of difficulties in the country but we have a political responsibility, in highlighting the awful economic plight of the country, to illustrate as well that there is hope, that a way can be found to turn this country around and that the country and its citizens have a future. We all must be more responsible in that regard in terms of the language we use.

It is part of the political and economic challenge we face as politicians to highlight the difficulties but also to highlight the fact that solutions can be found and that there is light at the end of the tunnel. The need for responsible politics does not just mean turning around the state of the economy. It is also important to ensure people have a sense of hope and see there is a future for our country.

When we talk about leadership, we should admit that we must present a type of politics which is not devoid of hope and that shows that there is a future. The number of people who genuinely feel a sense of despair and hopelessness is disturbing, and it is affecting all strata of society and all age groups. Parents see their children emigrating to find work. Children see their parents unemployed. College students see no future. We have a responsibility in conducting our normal political business to ensure we do not present a picture of Ireland devoid of hope because that will not be the case providing the correct decisions are made. I commend the Minister of State on his ongoing efforts. He has the support of every politician and party in the House as he continues to try to ensure services are provided for those in need of mental health facilities.