Maire Devine (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. She will forgive my cynicism. This review was supposed to be commenced in February but only started in March. It has now been pushed out to the end of the year and that is causing concern. Obviously budget 2019 would seem to be an appropriate time to carry out an expansion of the service, particularly for the Bray area, where the community has been site-ready and psychologically ready for the opening of services for young people for many years. I agree that any organisation funded by the HSE must undergo a rigorous audit process, and must be reviewed to find the best way to improve its service. However, we are now ignoring the need for expansion. A report out today from Mental Health Reform shows that the vast majority of people do not believe that the HSE places enough focus on mental health services. Here we have a site that is ready and people who are ready to expand this much-needed service to the Bray area. I am disappointed that it has been pushed to the end of the year, therefore probably falling outside the window of opportunity for funding for expansion.