Joan Freeman (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Having requested last week that the Minister for Health should attend the Seanad today to answer questions I am disappointed, but not surprised, that he has not turned up or given a positive response to my request. I repeat the request to invite the Minister to the House to debate the reduction of funding for mental health services and to question the misrepresentation of the €35 million for the budget, which we now know is over two years and not one. If I do not get a debate I will ask for the Order of Business to be suspended. Because of the lack of concern over mental health, I note that when Pieta House opened quite recently in Waterford, 485 people attended within the first few weeks, 40% of whom were children under the age of 13. The mental health budget must be questioned and the Minister for Health must be brought into the House to highlight how disappointing and disgraceful it is that mental health is once again the poor second cousin of the health system.