Maire Devine (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

This legislation, though good, is minuscule when compared with what is needed to change mental health on this island. We need to enact the A Vision for Change strategy, as 73% of the recommendations made in that document remain unenacted. We cannot allow it to languish and gather dust for another decade. As others have mentioned, it has been clarified that the supposed €35 million increase in the mental health budget actually includes €20 million carried forward from last year. This means a measly €15 million of new moneys amounting to a percentage of 1.7%. The HSE service level report estimated that an increase of €65 million is needed just to accommodate demographic shifts and pay deals. There is a huge risk that this new money, tiny as it is, will be swallowed up just to keep existing services on life support.

We know what the Government did last year and yet instead of asking questions, like we did yesterday, we are now plámásing around and letting spin go unchecked. I welcome the warriors in the Gallery from Mental Health Reform and I commend them on their Trojan work for mental health in this country. Mental Health Reform has stated that it is deeply concerned that essential services may not be in place to help distressed people when they need them. We call on the Government to fulfil the commitment in the confidence and supply agreement that A Vision for Change be implemented. The Psychiatric Nurses Association of Ireland, PNA, has also expressed disappointment. We all know of the deficits in the services, which include closed beds, long waiting lists, zero 24/7 crisis intervention, zero out-of-hours services and leaving nothing but hours of waiting at the very inappropriate location of the accident and emergency departments. Many in severe distress eventually just leave these departments, often with tragic results.

The litany of problems goes on. The Government and Fianna Fáil chose in this budget not to act in the health area but instead chose to offer tax cuts which will provide, at best, a cup of tea and a few biscuits. They will not provide hospital beds or community mental health services. We could wait and see what the communications unit, also known as the Government spin machine, will conjure up here. Its annual funding of €5 million amounts to a third of the €15 million mental health budget. Public opinion, sentiment and rage will see through this manipulative deception. I commend the Bill but the most important matter for us to discuss here is the paltry €15 million given to our mental health services when our people are calling out for 24/7 services and for meaningful engagement in their own mental well-being.