Frank Feighan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for taking on board the amendments. This is a very important matter. I thank all the stakeholders, including Deputy James Browne, for the work in progressing mental health reform. Senator Daly has correctly noted that 16 Bills have passed through the Houses from Opposition Members. In a minority Government, I do not know who is in government or in opposition. Perhaps all the credit for the Bills in this Dáil and Seanad could be given to either the Opposition or the Government. I take on board the Senator's comments.

I was in the Seanad between 2002 and 2007 and I spoke on A Vision for Change many years ago. We welcome the various initiatives in that and much very good work has been done in the mental health service. Often it has been a Cinderella when it comes to funding and provision. We spoke at the time of ring-fencing funding and much work was done. Sometimes the budget can be attacked.We have to protect mental health services at all times. In my native county of Roscommon, services are unfortunately still reeling from the fallout of that damning report examining Roscommon mental health services. An awful lot of good work has been done, such as the work being done on this important Bill. We have clear problems within existing services concerning the way they are run. This is something that really must be addressed in the short term.

I did say that for every stakeholder here, including politicians, Departments and service providers, the patient must come first. Sometimes health and mental health can become political footballs. When they become political footballs, the patient is sometimes left aside.

I remember a time about three or four years ago when there was a difficulty in Roscommon concerning a serious issue. I went on the radio to call on management and the unions to come together to resolve it. At 6 a.m. my phone started ringing, receiving calls from union members who were coming off work. They were given misinformation from their leaders in the unions. It was wrong and inaccurate. However, for somebody in that profession to ring somebody like myself, when perhaps I could have been in a certain situation, was abuse. In fairness, when I explained to them what I did and did not say, they said that they were extremely sorry. I am just saying that sometimes people need to stand up. Politicians, we-----