Seanad debates
Thursday, 15 May 2025
Mental Health and Suicide Prevention: Statements
2:00 am
Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I am pleased to be here in the Seanad to discuss the very important topic of mental health and suicide prevention. This month is mental health awareness month, and today is “Hello, how are you?” day, when we mark the annual campaign led by Mental Health Ireland which encourages meaningful conversations and reminds us of the power of this simple question. The message of the campaign is that talking about mental health can be difficult but starting that conversation does not have to be. This is my first time speaking on Seanad statements since I was reappointed as Minister of State with responsibility for mental health. It has been an honour and privilege to be the first person to bring the mental health portfolio to the Cabinet table. This is a real milestone for mental health in Ireland and shows the importance it has for the Government.
Our statements today are about mental health and suicide prevention. As a society there is a huge amount for us to reflect on when it comes to the issue of suicide. Each death is so devastating for that person, their loved ones, friends and communities. As I have said before, there is no greater tragedy than someone deciding that life is not worth living. As Minister of State, I never lose sight of this and it is a critical area of focus for me. All of us in the Government are committed to improving mental health services and reducing suicide.
Just last week I brought a memo to Cabinet, to update Government on key developments in suicide reduction, and to note the significant reduction in the suicide rate and the reduction and stabilisation of the self-harm rate. In recent years there have been several positive developments in reducing suicide and self-harm rates in Ireland. Between the years 2000 and 2021, Ireland has seen a 28% reduction in the suicide rate. This has resulted in Ireland having the 11th lowest suicide rate in the EU for all deaths, according to Eurostat data. Government also noted that preliminary data for 2023, showing 302 deaths, was the lowest preliminary figure in more than 20 years. Of course, this is provisional data and it will be revised upwards, but we are making progress.
Recently published data from the National Suicide Research Foundation self-harm registry also highlights that, between 2010 and 2023, self-harm rates decreased by 12%. This is another positive development, as previous self-harm remains the biggest risk factor for suicide.
When we talk about suicide reduction, we never want to focus too much on figures. We are always conscious of the people we have lost and how much more we need to do. The developments in reducing the incidence of self-harm and suicide have been primarily realised through work aligned with the goals of Connecting for Life, our national suicide reduction strategy. There has been sustained investment in suicide reduction initiatives, and the budget and expenditure of the HSE’s National Office for Suicide Prevention has increased from €5 million in 2012 to almost €15 million in 2025.
Suicide remains a critical public health issue, particularly among men. Men account for almost 80% of suicide deaths. I am acutely aware of this and budget 2025 allocated €2 million to enhance the provision of counselling supports for men. Two thirds of counselling services in Ireland are accessed by females. It is really important we support younger, middle-aged and older men to reach out and ask for that help.
My Department is working to develop a successor suicide reduction policy for Ireland. A public consultation is in progress with 1,895 submissions to date, where many people have been generously sharing their stories, their lived experience and their living experience. I look forward to bringing the new policy to Government for approval later this year.
The reform of Ireland's mental health services is guided by Sharing the Vision: A Mental Health Policy for Everyone. Sharing the Vision is a far-ranging and comprehensive policy, with the vision of creating a mental health system that addresses the needs of the population through a focus on the requirements of the individual. To do this, the policy contains 100 recommendations for the ongoing enhancement of our mental health services as well as recommendations for promoting positive mental health and developing upstream prevention and early intervention supports, in line with international best practice. The policy is action-oriented and focused on better outcomes for people experiencing mental health difficulties to bring about tangible changes in their lives and achieve better results, with the voice and expertise of people with lived and living experience embedded throughout.
Since I launched the policy in 2020, we have seen significant progress in the improvement, enhancement and reform of our mental health services, in particular across the roll-out of our national clinical programmes. I have prioritised the national clinical programme on eating disorders since my first appointment as Minister of State in 2020. The reality is that there was very little support available for people with eating disorders prior to the now-annual investment of more than €9 million in the clinical programme. The most effective treatment setting for eating disorders is in the community and we now have 14 of the 16 teams envisaged by the model of care funded. Most teams are fully operational with almost 100 dedicated clinicians seeing people every day. Other teams are at different stages of recruitment and preparation for being operational.
Prior to the inception of the national clinical programme for adults with ADHD, which I launched as Minister of State in 2021, there were no specific ADHD public services available for adults in Ireland. The new clinical programme for adults with ADHD is now being implemented across the country by multidisciplinary teams on a phased basis, with seven teams already operational. In budget 2025, I secured the funding to complete the roll-out of the programme and bring ADHD teams to all areas of the country.
In addition to the progress made in our national clinical programmes, I recently announced a significant €31 million capital investment for mental health in 2025. This is the largest ever one-year allocation for mental health infrastructure and forms part of the Government’s broader commitment to delivering modern, fit-for-purpose, person-centred mental health facilities. We have made a lot of progress, but there is much more to do. I was delighted to be reappointed as Minister of State to be able to keep delivering the much-needed changes and improvements required.
Mental health is everybody's business. It is a whole-of-population and whole-of-government issue. There is no health without mental health. I look forward to being back in the Seanad very soon with the new Mental Health Bill which passed Second Stage in the Dáil in September. I will be looking for Government approval in the next two weeks for 153 amendments to the Bill. I will be bringing it to Committee Stage and then look forward to bringing it to the Seanad where I hope I will get full support for it.
Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael)
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I welcome those from St. Mary's secondary school in Edenderry, County Offaly. They are very welcome and I hope they have a lovely day today.
Teresa Costello (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister of State to the Seanad today. I acknowledge mental health awareness week. I must admit that I only heard last night that this initiative has been running for 20 years. It is a testament to the growing awareness of and commitment to mental health across Ireland. Each year, this week is marked by a theme. In 2021 it was nature; in 2022 it was loneliness; in 2023 it focused on anxiety; in 2024 it was movement; and this year, 2025, appropriately, the theme is community. What a vital role community plays in mental health.
We all know that mental health struggles are often invisible. They are not always seen but very deeply felt and can be incredibly isolating. That is why community support is so crucial. It wraps around people when they need it most. In my community of Tallaght, I have seen at first hand the extraordinary power of community-led mental health support. Individuals after experiencing personal tragedy have gone on to become pillars of strength for others. I refer to people like Johnny Fox, may he rest in peace, who was one of the original forces behind Darkness into Light; Mary McLoughlin, who founded HOPE Tallaght; and Jean Haas, who established NINA for Life suicide awareness. These are just a few names among many. There are countless volunteers and advocates. I could stand here all day naming each person who is lighting a path forward for others in pain. Just last weekend, our community came out in strength for Darkness into Light. Walks were held in Thomas Davis GAA Club and St. Anne's Park. HOPE had a walk in Dodder Valley Park. NINA for Life organised a walk in Kingswood. There was a Pieta House event in Tymon Park. I am sure there were other events that I missed. The message was clear that our communities care deeply. These walks are more than just events. They are symbols of shared loss, shared strength and the belief that no one should ever face darkness alone.
The programme for Government, Our Shared Future, acknowledges this. It commits to radically reforming Ireland's model of mental healthcare and fully implementing Sharing the Vision, the national mental health strategy. That includes annual increases in mental health funding, 24-7 access to crisis mental health services, stronger mental health supports in primary care and community hubs, and targeted supports for young people in schools and youth services. Mental health services are allocated almost €1.5 billion of funding for 2025; a record level. Since 2022, the mental health budget has increased by 44%. This investment is enabling significant change and improvement to how we support people in suicidal crisis, people with ADHD, eating disorders and access to talking therapies for men, in particular. Investment alone cannot solve this issue. We must reform how mental health services are structured and organised. Our focus is on providing early access to support through community-based teams, preventing people from becoming more unwell and requiring inpatient treatment.
While recruitment remains challenging, it should be noted that between the end of 2019 and February 2025, mental health services saw a net growth of 753 posts. Over 96% of those posts are for those involved directly in client care.
The mental health of our youth must be our number one priority. Irish children today are growing up in a world which is vastly different and undoubtedly more challenging than any previous generation. Growing up and navigating your teenage years has always been awkward and difficult, but technology and social media have added an entirely new facet to this. As parents, it can be difficult for us to know how to support our children through these times, which is why it is important for them to have mental health services to which they can turn. There were 4,228 children on the child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, waiting list nationally in February 2025. The Government has prioritised the reform of CAMHS, and youth mental health services more generally, through the establishment of the first ever child and youth mental health office in the HSE, with a dedicated national clinical lead and director. As part of budget 2025, additional posts will be recruited into CAMHS to improve access to services and reduce waiting lists. Alongside this, €3 million in recurring ring-fenced funding is provided to address CAMHS waiting lists. That money is badly needed.
Mental health must be treated with the same urgency and seriousness as physical health, not just in theory but in how we fund, plan and deliver care. Mental health is also about more than just services; it is about belonging, connection, compassion and hope. It is found in small acts, including how we check in on a friend, make room for a child who is struggling and create safe and welcoming spaces in our schools, sports clubs and community centres. Let us use mental health week not just to raise awareness but to reaffirm our collective responsibility to ensure no one feels alone and that every person, regardless of age or background, knows that it is okay to ask for help because help will be there.
Aubrey McCarthy (Independent)
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I welcome the Minister of State. I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on a matter that affects society as a whole and certainly affects the area that I have volunteered and worked in, which is mental health supports in Ireland. A recent study by the European Commission showed that 44% of Irish citizens reported difficulties accessing mental health services. That was the highest rate in the EU. It also found that 63% of our population have experienced emotional or psychosocial problems in the past year. That means Ireland is ranked the third highest among all the EU nations. Despite that, Ireland only allocates 5.1% of its health budget to mental health initiatives. That falls way short of the WHO's recommended 12% and the Sláintecare reform, which recommended 10%. We are way below that level.
That underinvestment is evident in the staffing of areas of mental health. Some 30% of permanent consultant psychiatry posts are vacant at the moment. We have limited infrastructure for mental health. Only 22 acute mental health beds are available per 100,000 of population when the EU average is 70. I know we must cut our coat according to our cloth, etc., but this is an area about which I am passionate.
The situation is particularly dire for individuals who are facing dual diagnoses. As the Minister of State knows, dual diagnoses are where mental health issues coexist with substance abuse issues. A study by Mental Health Reform highlighted significant barriers for that cohort, with individuals saying there is poor collaboration between services, a lack of training of professionals and limited access to a continuum of care for such dual diagnosis individuals. The result is that many people are being turned away from mental health services due to having a substance misuse issue. They are being turned away from rehabilitation facilities because they have a mental health issue and, therefore, fall through the gaps without adequate support. With my experience of setting up Tiglin, nearly 20 years ago now, I have seen people impacted by addiction. I have seen at first hand the many families who have come to me with a son who has been smoking synthetic cannabis for many years, which has played havoc with his mind, and the chap in question now has a diagnosis of schizophrenia or something similar. There are considerable barriers in this area. Rehabilitation centres, such as Tiglin, Merchant's Quay Ireland and Cluain Mhuire Community Mental Health Services are underfunded to deal with the clinical needs that are presented. Hospitals are often unable to help people with their mental health issues because they are presenting with a substance misuse issue. It is in this gap that I believe people are losing hope and families are despairing. I have seen that at first hand. We are also losing people who can easily be saved.
The gap I have mentioned hampers recovery but also leads to repeated cycles in mental health institutions and the justice system. That could be avoided. Millions are spent every year to incarcerate individuals with dual diagnosis, which underscores the need for joined-up thinking.
From working in the sector, I think we need to treat the whole person. Let us stop treating the mental health issue separately from the substance misuse. We must establish an integrated care system so an individual is treated for both issues at the same time under the same roof.
We need to train our front-line staff, including doctors, nurses and carers. They need the tools to deal with dual diagnoses. A full debate is needed in this area as we cannot deal with dual diagnoses on the basis of outdated training formats.
Some €93 million has been spent to outsource to private healthcare in the past year. That is unsustainable for our economy. We need to invest in our own system and not just buy capacity but build it. As has been mentioned, we need to end the shame and stigma that go with mental health issues. We to reframe things so that when somebody is asking for help, it is seen as an act of strength and not of weakness.
My point is that we need to bridge the gaps in the area of dual diagnoses. Ireland's mental health supports require an effort on the part of all policymakers, stakeholders, healthcare providers, NGOs and society at large to prioritise integrated care, invest in the service and educate the people. We can then ensure that all individuals in the cohort I have mentioned receive the support they need.
At the end of her speech, the Minister of State said it is a whole-of-population and whole-of-government issue, which was welcome. I thank her.
Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael)
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I call Senator Maria Byrne, who I believe will share time with Senators Scahill and Cathal Byrne.
Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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I propose to share time with Senators Scahill, Cathal Byrne and Nelson Murray.
Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for coming to discuss this all-important issue. I know from working with her previously how passionate she is about the subject and how committed she is to changing the way we think of mental health and resolving the issues.It is frightening that it is predominantly young men who are affected by these issues. There is a higher suicide rate among young men than young females. This morning, the Limerick Mental Health Association hosted a business breakfast with over 300 people in attendance. The theme of this year's event was employee well-being as a strategy. It not just about support; it is also about having a strategy. The event was sponsored by Edwards Lifesciences, one of the medical health organisations that are big employers in Limerick. It is great to see the combination between mental health associations and what they are trying to highlight with their members. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, has set out that a priority of the Department of Education and Youth is the promotion of positive mental health throughout the education services. Where further interventions are needed, we must ensure that trained professionals are available.
Senator McCarthy referred to the issue of dual diagnosis, where a person has a mental health issue and an addiction at the same time. I wish to highlight a matter on behalf of my colleague, Senator Ní Chuilinn, who is very passionate about this issue. I have visited the Coolmine treatment centres in Limerick and Dublin, as has Senator Ní Chuilinn. We acknowledge the wonderful work they do. Coolmine has a psychologist who works in its female section but such care is not available to male residents. The big issue is that when men have issues, they have to be sent to accident and emergency. Likewise, that is what it comes down to in youth mental health as well. I know the Minister of State is trying to resolve this, but an accident and emergency department is not the right or appropriate place for people when they have a mental health illness, a little breakdown or whatever. Could we look at having a segregated section or area that people see as a safe space? When people have an episode, they look for a safe space and for support. We also need more psychologists spread throughout the country. The provision of a separate section in accident and emergency units would be a big help.
We have to start early. I suppose education is the right place to start. Some of those who have come through the education system are now not feeling very well, perhaps due to pressure or different issues. It is important that we support the Limerick Mental Health Association and other mental health associations throughout the country because they do wonderful work in terms of working with different age groups ranging from the young to the not so young. These organisations make people feel very welcome and there is no stigma. Limerick Mental Health Association has a mental health café where they bring in people and sit down with them to have a conversation. This is great because it helps people to have discussions and share experiences.
Gareth Scahill (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State and acknowledge that today is “Hello, how are you?” day. Mental health is a very topical issue. I do not have as much time as I would like to discuss it. Last summer, I had the pleasure of meeting the Minister of State in Castlerea, County Roscommon for the launch of the Discovery College at the CAMHS Connect unit in Castlerea, which promotes positive mental health and well-being in young people while facilitating prevention and early intervention. The real message behind the provision of this new service is that everybody is equal. Traditionally, support was provided to 14- to 17-year-olds but the new service means that they do not just fall off the cliff at the end of that time. Support is now provided for 18- to 25-year-olds. The programme is very welcome and I hope it can be expanded in the very near future, during the term of this Government.
When it comes to CAMHS and CAMHS Connect, the one thing I do not want to hear about, specifically across the west of Ireland, is a staff embargo. I do not want to hear about that because mental health is too important an issue for a lack of staffing to hold back its development and prevent people getting the treatment they deserve and are entitled to. CAMHS Connect looks at emotional, behavioural and mental health supports. The young people in our society deserve those supports.
I would like my colleagues to acknowledge the Darkness into Light walks that took place nationwide last weekend and gave people an opportunity to talk about an issue that is often not spoken about. I compliment the groups in Roscommon town, Castlerea and Strokestown, where thousands of people came out to support an issue that has hit every rural community in the west of Ireland and nationally. I hope that having this conversation here will lead to the provision of additional supports to all those local areas.
Cathal Byrne (Fine Gael)
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I begin by wishing the Minister of State the very best of luck in her new role. Mental health is one of the biggest issues that face this country. It is an enormous challenge. As somebody who represents Waterford, the Minister of State is more than aware of the issues in my home county of Wexford.
I specifically want to highlight a motion that was recently passed by the members of Wexford County Council, which called on the Minister of State to intervene and deliver in Wexford a ten-bed unit for local urgent need, integrated with Wexford General Hospital. At the moment any person suffering from a mental health issue with suicide on his or her mind is brought to the emergency department of Wexford General Hospital and, if required, transferred to Waterford. Unfortunately, for a county as large as Wexford and its population, it is unacceptable that people are transferred to Waterford.
I am aware of the work that is under way in Waterford and the work that the Minister of State is doing in her local area to increase and improve the facilities that are available there. The people of Wexford need a small, designated ten-bed unit that is co-located with Wexford General Hospital to be provided. I am aware that the outgoing CEO of the HSE does not favour this proposal but someone new will take up his position. I urge the Minister of State to get involved in her neighbouring county. We are not looking for a large-scale unit like the one in Waterford. We are seeking a small ten-bed unit for urgent need because a mental health issue is not something that just happens between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. from Monday to Friday. We need 24-hour access.
Linda Nelson Murray (Fine Gael)
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As the Minister of State will know, there is a wonderful organisation called SOSAD, which stands for Save our Sons and Daughters. I raise its case on my own behalf and on behalf of Senator Keogan who has worked with the charity as well. Since 2007, SOSAD Ireland has six full-time offices based in Cavan, Louth, Laois, Meath and Monaghan from which they provide one-to-one and remote counselling, and a 24-7 freefone crisis line. They also work from outreach offices, one of which is based in Navan, County Meath. Since its inception, SOSAD has been dedicated to supporting individuals and families across Ireland in the managing of their mental health. SOSAD was founded by Peter Moloney from Drogheda after the death of his son, Stephen. SOSAD, which offers compassionate and confidential support, recognises that early help can help to save lives and believes that nobody should struggle alone. As the Minister of State will know, the future of SOSAD hangs in the balance. Yesterday, SOSAD announced that it will have to charge its clients for counselling services due to its huge operational costs and large drop in funding. I appreciate that SOSAD has been working with the HSE for section 39 funding and that the Minister of State has liaised with the charity, but I urge her to do all she can for it. I ask her to work with SOSAD to get this through as quickly as possible so that it can continue the amazing work it does for thousands of people.
Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael)
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I understand that Senators Nicole Ryan and Pauline Tully wish to share time. Is that agreed? Agreed.
Nicole Ryan (Sinn Fein)
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I welcome the Minister of State. It is lovely to see her in the Chamber. I am here today to honour the memory of the people we have lost to suicide, and to mention some of them. David and Hazel Byrne, aged 52 and 51, were found in their home in County Kerry. Milly Tuomey was a vibrant 11-year-old whose tragic loss shines a harsh light on the gaps in our child mental health services. Her brave mother set up HUGG, a bereavement support group. Rían de Brún, from Ballineen in west Cork, was described as one of the happiest boys in the world but he took his own life when he was just 15 years old. Adam Loughnane from Galway, aged 34, was a bright young man who sought help at University Hospital Galway but tragically died just hours later.There are many more, some known and some unknown, who felt they had no way out, no path of hope. Each of these names is a life lost - a life that should have been saved - and the systems we are supposed to trust to care for them and for all of us are falling short.
I echo the sentiments of Senators McCarthy and Maria Byrne about the lack of cohesion in dual diagnosis services. I am an addiction counsellor. I have worked in addiction centres and homeless centres. In the homeless sector, addiction and mental ill-health thrive. I see it all the time. People are going around and around until – very few get lucky – they inevitably die. They fall through the cracks in society constantly. There has to be joined-up thinking between mental health and addiction services, as others have said.
When people are in crisis they should not be forced to attend an overcrowded accident and emergency department. There should be a rapid response, community-based support, crisis de-escalation teams, and accessible counselling, but these services are simply not there in every area. Instead, we see a postcode lottery of care and broken promises and that is particularly true for our most vulnerable. The postcode lottery is even more pronounced in rural Ireland. The disparity between urban and rural mental health services is stark. Everything is condensed in urban areas and there is very little in rural areas. People in rural communities face longer wait times and have access to fewer mental health professionals and limited access to specialised care. A young person in Ballineen or Belmullet should have the same access to care and crisis support as someone in Dublin 4, but that is not the reality. In too many rural towns and villages families are left to cope alone with services scattered, underfunded and simply absent. This imbalance is not only unjust, it is dangerous. The truth is that young people are dying while waiting for help and families have been left to navigate complex and underresourced systems alone.
Community services such as SOSAD and, in my constituency, the Charleville Suicide Awareness Project, are vital lifelines in towns across Ireland. They are on the brink of closure due to funding uncertainty, even after pre-election commitments were made. This is not just a matter of policy. It is about values. What does it say about us as legislators that we can just accept it? There has to be increased funding for mental health support. As was mentioned, funding is due but it needs to be timely and accessible to all. We need to implement a cohesive early intervention programme around schools and communities alike. Supports are needed to expand crisis intervention centres and services and provide meaningful multi-annual funding for such grassroots services as SOSAD and the Charleville Suicide Awareness Project. We must commit to building a mental health system that is accessible, compassionate and effective. We have to honour those we have lost, including Adam, Milly, Rían, David and Hazel, by ensuring others are not lost in the future.
Pauline Tully (Sinn Fein)
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The Minister of State is welcome. She will be aware that I come from Cavan, which has had one of the highest rates of suicide in the past few years. It has twice the national average. It is distressing that so many, especially young men, are taking their own lives, but it extends to men and women of all ages, unfortunately.
I commend the staff in mental health units in the community and hospitals as well as those who work in SOSAD, Pieta and many of our family resource centres, FRCs, which also provide counselling to people. They have gone to some lengths to get accreditation to do so. We need to build capacity in our teams in the community and hospitals and support those organisations such as SOSAD, Pieta and FRCs. I think of families who have lost a loved one due to suicide. It is devastating to lose someone in a sudden way, but it is worse when it is by suicide because people constantly ask themselves whether they should have said or done something or noticed something. That can sometimes lead to a further suicide. Supports for families bereaved by suicide are extremely important and need to be increased.
According to the Mental Health Commission, an estimated 51,000 people access their first mental health support through emergency departments or medical wards. Other Members have mentioned that emergency departments are not suitable places. They are very busy. People have gone in seeking mental health support, but because they physically do not look like their need is urgent in comparison with some other people who are waiting on services, they are often left for hours. We have had instances of people leaving emergency departments and taking their own lives because they did not get help. We should look at having specialised units within the emergency departments that are just for mental health services so people can be admitted in that way.
I have spoken to a number of people who were admitted to a psychiatric ward through emergency departments or otherwise and got support who said they are almost afraid to admit they are feeling well again because they will be discharged from the unit and it is extremely hard to reach out again and get back in if they feel unwell again. The nature of mental health is that people can feel great one day and not the next day. Many people are afraid to admit they are feeling a little bit better, in case they need support again and will not be able to access it on time. It is probably more community mental health teams that need to be built so that people know they have support and can get it when they need it in a fast manner.
I also spoke to a lady who has been engaged with mental health services in Cavan for a long time. She has seen her consultant once. Every time she goes to an appointment, she sees a different person. This is happening in both child and adult mental health services. There is no consistency. People see a person who does not know them or their needs and they have to go over everything again. When this woman made a complaint about this she was not listened to. She then requested a visit from her nurse and that was refused because she had made the complaint. She was told that if she had a problem with it she should go to Your Service, Your Say. I am afraid people who have used Your Service, Your Say do not get results at all. She has also been on medication for more than a decade and it has not been reviewed in that time. People's needs change. The medication she was prescribed ten years ago was what she needed at that time but her need may have changed since then. Also, we need to make sure medication prescribed for something else - looking at the overall picture to make sure all medications are not doing damage together - can be given at the same time.
I echo the calls around dual diagnosis in addiction services in particular, but also in children's services for children who are autistic and perhaps suffer from anxiety. They are being thrown from CAMHS to the CDNT and back again and they are not getting the supports they need. Teams that would look at both of those items together were to be set up. I would love an update on those. For adults, the issues are intertwined. People with addiction issues often have mental health issues or people who have mental illness often end up drinking or taking drugs to make themselves feel better and it worsens the problem. We need to make sure our services are providing a dual diagnosis service.
On eating disorders, the Minister of State indicated a number of teams have been established. Are they all operating at full capacity? Teams may be established, but if they are only operating at 50%, they are not able to assist. We need to ensure the eating disorders teams are there because it is something people can get help to recover from.
People between the ages of 15 and 18 who are admitted to hospital through an emergency department are often not deemed suitable to go into the children's ward, but they are not adults so they cannot go into an adult mental health unit. Is provision being made?
Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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There were five last year, down from 18 six years ago.
Pauline Tully (Sinn Fein)
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Okay. It has been identified as a problem in Cavan General Hospital. They do not know what they are supposed to do with children in that age bracket. It is a group that needs to be looked at.
Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael)
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Before I ask Senator Stephenson to speak, I welcome pupils from Pobalscoil na Tríonóide. They are welcome to Leinster House. I hope they have an enjoyable day and I wish them well.
Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael)
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And they should have no homework as well. Senator Andrews requested that and it has been approved by everyone in the House, I suspect, so they will not have any homework tonight, or if they do not have any anyway, it applies tomorrow night.
Patricia Stephenson (Social Democrats)
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I thank the Minister of State for coming in. We are all aware of the mental health crisis we are seeing. The second annual survey by Aware in 2024 indicated that little has changed in the past year, with more than half of respondents reporting depression and four in every ten respondents experiencing anxiety.The one in four adults living with a chronic illness are most likely to experience moderate depression. Three in five said anxiety makes work and attending to responsibilities very difficult. Additionally, 56% of respondents stated that financial worries are impacting their mental health. Despite the number of people suffering from mental health challenges, stigma is still a major issue. We already heard about it today. Half of the respondents cited shame and fear of judgment as the reason they delay accessing appropriate supports.
When so many people are experiencing mental health challenges, it is politically difficult to hear that stigma continues to be an issue in 2025. We heard other Senators speak about stigma. Senator McCarthy said coming forward should be seen as a strength and not a weakness. I totally support that point. We need to see how we as legislators and the Government can lead on this issue through educational awareness campaigns on mental health because it will only stop being a stigma when people come forward and are open about their own situations.
The situation among our youth is extremely concerning. Research from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland revealed that 29% of adolescents described their mental health as bad or very bad. Alarmingly, 11% have attempted suicide. We all know these figures are not abstract. The people involved are our friends, family members, colleagues and perhaps our children. Behind each number is a real story of struggle, resilience and, too often, a story of silence.
I am sure some of us in this room have experienced or struggled with mental health issues at some point in our lives. If we have not, perhaps it has been a loved one we have seen struggling with their mental health. It can be very scary when the right supports are not there. There is also hope, however. We have heard about hope from other people today as well. I pay tribute to Angela Hayes, who is the founder of Teac Tom in Kilkenny. She had a tragic personal story and from that she transformed her own grief into a mission of compassion and providing crisis support for thousands. In light of her work, she received the humanitarian of the year award from the Irish Red Cross over the weekend. I highlight this and congratulate her because it is a testament to the huge impact she has had, especially locally in Kilkenny. Her work exemplifies the spirit of mental health week around community-driven and rights-based approaches rooted in empathy. At the same time, it also highlights the urgent need for systemic support. In 2024, the HSE spent approximately €93 million on outsourcing mental health care to private providers. I think this figure has doubled since 2018. Why are community services like Teac Tom - which are doing brilliant work and are effective - being left to shoulder the burden of something I think is the responsibility of the State? Why is the HSE outsourcing mental health care instead of strengthening public service provision? Mental health services in Ireland have suffered from years of underinvestment and deprioritisation. In turn, that has left us with under-resourced and understaffed services. We need substantial funding in community-based services.
Senator McCarthy also cited that the mental health budget is not currently 10% of the overall health budget, which was recommended in Sláintecare. We need to get to that level. We are in a crisis in our mental health services. Until we back them with substantial funding, I do not see how we are going to be able to tackle it.
In a recent EU survey of more than 25,000 Europeans in our 27 member states, Ireland was cited as the loneliest country in Europe, which I think is a tragic statistic to have. Of the respondents in Ireland, some 20% reported feeling lonely. We must ask ourselves how we can address loneliness. It is an epidemic across Ireland. It is most acutely felt in rural communities like mine, which is on the border of Carlow-Kilkenny. The Minister of State also highlighted the challenge concerning men's loneliness in particular. Loneliness can be felt most profoundly by middle-aged and older men who do not have the same culture of openness and of sharing their feelings and emotions with their family and friends. More must be done to tackle this situation.
I acknowledge what I am sure we would all agree is the great work of men's sheds in addressing a large element of this problem and creating the space for connection and togetherness. It is these small gestures in the context of loneliness that can have a major impact. Once again, however, I say this should not be based on volunteers and community initiatives alone. We need proper State funding and provision and community-based services. I am not saying they should replace men's sheds, which do fantastic work. It must be in tandem. We cannot base our well-being and mental health outreach wholly on local volunteers.
Loneliness can happen to anyone at any time. It is not always clear from talking to someone if they are lonely and feeling depressed. It is pervasive, particularly in a world of telephones and online communication and when we are enveloped in our work and paying the bills. We have so many pressures, perhaps more than previous generations. We live in quite an insular society. We are seeing breakdowns in traditional community structures. For older people, this is particularly felt when they are facing economic pressures, suffered the death of a close loved one or experienced ill health. They might have a lack of family support because their younger family members have been forced to leave the country because of the cost-of-living and housing crises. All these things impact the mental health of communities. We should be taking a community approach to mental health in terms of services and how we perceive it. We need to move away from the individualistic culture we see in the modern age.
It is about a policy decision that includes social infrastructure and fosters inclusive and community-focused environments. We need to see the strengthening of the community mental health services. It is not just words of encouragement to get out of the house and socialise more that are needed. We really need to see proper infrastructure in place to support it.
I also wish to touch on mental health for young people, as so many other Senators spoke about. We have things like cyberbullying, social media pressures and reduced face-to-face interactions. Research shows a decline in youth well-being. If we were to go to any school or group of young people, they would tell us they are struggling with their mental health. They will say that, and it is fantastic they have the language to do it. Certainly, I do not think that in my generation we would have had the language and tools to say it. They are kind of screaming out for help, though, and I do not think their needs are being met. CAMHS is not fit for purpose. The waiting lists are depressingly long and many families are not getting referrals. The referral delays are so extreme. When it is possible to meet somebody, the time people are getting is not sufficient to actually address the issue the child is facing. This is also linked to youth services. Social activities are costing so much more than they used to. They are unaffordable for many families. The outreach options for young people are limited.
We already spoke about eating disorders. I am sure that some or many of us attended the Cared Ireland briefing in the AV room in February. It is an eating disorder charity. The panel of parents and survivors of eating disorders shared heart-wrenching stories of how they or their family members had been treated by the healthcare system. There was inappropriate language, with people being told they were just vain, needed to put on a bit of weight and it was all about how they looked. I hope we would all agree that eating disorders are obviously a mental health issue. There were reports of people being force-fed and denied proper treatment. Children suffering from eating disorders are often put in completely inappropriate healthcare settings. They are in Crumlin hospital on acute wards that are not for eating disorders. They can be in there for months being force-fed. It is not fit for purpose. I think the HSE has spent something like €13.5 million sending eating disorder patients abroad since 2016. This is not good enough. No one should be getting treatment abroad for anything, but I refer especially to young people going abroad for eating disorders and being away from their family and support structures. I am sorry if that figure is wrong. The Minister of State can come back to me on it. There are reports of kids going to the UK and other places for eating disorder treatment. This does happen, so we need to see more beds in Ireland for this type of treatment. This issue is particularly affecting children and, of course, young girls, who are often in the majority of eating disorder sufferers. It is particularly tragic that we have parents and families coming into the AV room to share these harrowing private details of their lives and basically begging for radical Government action to address these gaps. I hope we will listen to them and take steps forward urgently in a concrete way to respond to these issues. We cannot continue to have people just coming in and baring their souls to ask for help. We sit down and feel awful about it, but we need to be able to act on those things too and move forward with tangible improvements.
We heard from Senator Ryan already about the young man who presented in Galway hospital with severe suicidal ideation. He was not triaged and treated in an appropriate time. He left the hospital and took his own life. It is such a tragic story. We cannot have more incidences of this happening. Emergency departments are not the correct places for people to be receiving emergency mental health support. We really need to take radical action when it comes to this type of situation. It is a harrowing story to hear that someone would have the courage to turn up for support from a doctor in an emergency department, get turned away and then make the awful decision to end their own life. I hope we do not hear more of these stories in the coming years.
I am running out of time. I appreciate what the Minister of State said in her statement. I believe she has the best intentions. I hope when she is bringing her Bills to this House we will have the opportunity to work together and strengthen them so we are responding in a holistic way to the needs we are all seeing in our communities.
Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (Fianna Fail)
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The Minister of State is very welcome to the House and she is doing a great job. She is empathetic, sympathetic and totally on top of her brief. The proof on how well she is doing is that budget after budget, the allocation for mental health is increasing. In fact, it stands at 44% since 2020. Mental health is no longer the poor relation in the whole health budget. Maith thú for that.
Many a broken heart is hidden behind a smiling face. It behoves us all, both public representatives and the public, to reach out to one another. Even with regard to people that are perceived to be in good form, there is no harm in asking how they are or if they want to go for a cup of coffee. Particularly when we feel someone is feeling down, we must reach out and ask if they are okay. Irish people have a great habit of asking, “how are you?” instead of saying hello. They do not even listen to what the reply is. Often a person might be tempted to say they are actually not great, but the person is gone. They are not listening. There should be a societal change on that.
I reference suicide, in particular. I have a few friends who have a direct family member who has taken their own lives in that way, and they are devastated. There are so many questions left unanswered and so much sadness left behind. It truly is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Maybe something could be done on suicide prevention because it is such a sad affair that someone can see no way out.
Men are not great at opening up to one another in the same way as women are. In that respect, we are polar opposites. It is important that men are there for one another, and that we as females are there for our male friends. Well done to the Minister of State. There is work to be done, as in every Department, but we can all help in the area of mental health, by asking someone how they are doing.
Imelda Goldsboro (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister of State. As my colleagues said, it is great to see a Minister who increases a budget by so much year on year. I have experience working with the Minister of State on a number of projects in Tipperary South and have seen what she has delivered there in respect of the crisis house and Jigsaw to name a few organisations, as well as in the neighbouring counties.
We all know the challenges that are facing us on a daily basis and we know it does not make a difference what age you are as mental health does not come into that factor. I have a number of queries for the Minister of State. As public representatives, we can play our part and the main thing in society is connectivity and linkage. The Minister of State herself was in Ballingarry to open up the community café, which is something that we are very proud of, and as mentioned here already today, our main function and focus of opening the community café was to reduce loneliness. Loneliness is a problem for so many people. It opened when we were coming out of a pandemic when people were afraid to leave their homes. To see how that is growing and going from strength to strength, as well as the difference it is making in so many lives, is phenomenal.
As a parent of three teenagers myself, I am very concerned with the lack of knowledge that parents have themselves about what is going on online with cyberbullying and the harm and the effects it is causing their children. We need to create more awareness among parents through the Department of Education, relevant stakeholders and other agencies to let them know what is going on. If we were able to go in in a timely manner before these negative thoughts come in teenagers' minds, we could deter, stop and prevent some of the negativity that is happening. It can range from self-harm to suicidal tendencies. It can encompass sleep deprivation and can go into numerous eating disorders to name a few mental health difficulties.
I acknowledge the great work a lot of the voluntary groups are doing and the great work of Pieta House and the different bodies. However, I have a big issue. Last Monday night week, on the bank holiday Monday night, I had to contact somebody for a constituent and I was told to call back the following morning at 10.30 a.m. I could not turn around and tell that person to hang on until the following morning with their suicidal thoughts. I got off the phone and proceeded to ring in a favour. I told somebody I was in dire straits and asked if they could help. I was told it was a bank holiday Monday night. That is not good enough. That is not what somebody with suicidal tendencies needs to hear. Thankfully, we were able to come to a positive outcome.
Chris Andrews (Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State for coming in. I know this is an issue she is very passionate about and active on. I thank and acknowledge all the volunteers who came out last Saturday morning for the Pieta House Darkness Into Light walk. The volunteers come out extra early, at 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. If it was not for them, this event would not happen. It is a very important event for mental health and suicide prevention but also for Pieta House, whose funding is almost exclusively dependent on private donations and events like that. Some 87% of its funding comes from events like Darkness into Light and a variety of other events throughout the year. I acknowledge the work the volunteers do because the public donations ultimately will not keep the services that are needed alive and there, in place.
I was speaking to someone recently who suggested that physical and mental health are inextricably linked. They proposed that there be a tax credit for gym membership. I acknowledge it is not the Minister of State’s area but it is something to raise and be aware of. We cannot lose on a tax credit for gym membership because not only are people physically fit but it addresses preventative measures, rather than treatment of many mental and physical health issues. The stronger a person is, the less time they spend in hospital. There will be fewer people going to hospital.
Yesterday I spoke to Councillor Leah Cull from Boyle, County Roscommon, and she highlighted that non-profit, non-government funded charities are holding up a failed system in rural Ireland. She feels strongly about this. These charities do not get Government funding because they are not national charities but they are still taking referrals from national organisations. One organisation she mentioned was North West Stop, which covers some of County Mayo, counties Sligo, Leitrim and Roscommon, south Donegal and County Cavan. It covers a huge area and it does fantastic work but ultimately, it is not funded. It is taking referrals to provide counselling throughout the country. Could the Minister of State outline why organisations like North West Stop are not funded and is this something that can be considered at a future date? North West Stop does fantastic work and does not have that support it desperately needs.
Dee Ryan (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for giving us his time today to discuss this important issue. First, as a Limerick person I acknowledge and thank her for the support she has given the Limerick community access support team. It is a pilot initiative that she and the then Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Deputy Browne, came to Limerick to launch last October. It went live in January and is led by Superintendent Andrew Lacey in Henry Street Garda Station. It places three gardaí into a car with mental health nurses to provide a response that is not just a police-led response to an emergency call. Listening to my colleagues here today and discussing how a timely intervention is so important when it comes to issues of mental health, we are very excited in Limerick about the results we have seen so far in this programme. It could be a game-changer for us across the country. I thank the Minister of State for her personal support on that and look forward to hearing the results in due course. I wish to bring the attention of the Minister of State to another fabulous organisation in Limerick, ADAPT Domestic Support Services. AdaptHouse, as we know it locally, is the largest domestic support refuge in the country. Regrettably, I have to tell the Minister of State that the highest incidence of domestic abuse reported in the country is in Limerick. The organisation was founded more than 50 years ago to provide all sorts of supports to women who find themselves in this situation as well as the children they may be supporting. The service started as a refuge where people could go when leaving an abusive relationship. During my recent visit to AdaptHouse, I spoke to Denise Dunne, the director of services, and Leonie Kearns, the chairperson. They highlighted the growing demand for therapeutic talk services, including group work and one-to-one therapy work.
The organisation is providing a huge amount of support over the phone. Last year, it supported 1,200 women and 215 children in Limerick and answered in excess of 2,400 calls. Its challenge is that it needs to expand its footprint to provide more supports. I wanted to raise this with the Minister of State because I know we are taking a whole-of-government approach. The service is largely funded through the Department of Justice, the HSE and the local authority. I ask for the support of the Minister of State on the request for funding when it comes to Government.
Sarah O'Reilly (Aontú)
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The Minister of State is very welcome. A recent UNICEF report paints a poor picture of youth well-being in Ireland. It found that one in three 15-year-olds report low life satisfaction. Our teenagers may be successful in school, but they are struggling in life and that is the sad reality. We pride ourselves on academic results, but we need to do more for their emotional and mental well-being, and we need to do it as early as possible.
There has been much focus on mental health awareness and encouraging young people to be vulnerable. However, when they reach out, help may be available but delayed. The Covid pandemic left scars we are still uncovering. Lockdowns, school closures and isolation took their toll and the effects still linger. I call on the Government to seriously examine the Icelandic model, a proven approach that has transformed youth well-being in Iceland. One of the main ideas was the introduction of a wellness card which has a set amount of funding for each child to access extracurricular activities. In Iceland, youth participation doubled after its introduction. The result has been a reduction in substance abuse, smoking, drinking and drug taking. Countries like Finland, which have an incredibly integrated mental health system, focus on the importance of early intervention and preventative healthcare. We need to set young people up for success at an early stage in life.
We must also stop turning a blind eye to the crisis in our mental health services. Children are waiting years for CAMHS appointments. Families are forced to bring children to overcrowded accident and emergency departments to access basic help. While waiting lists grow, CAMHS staffing is shrinking, down from 831 at the end of 2023 to 811 at the end of 2024. We are losing an average of 12 educational psychologists annually. Our graduate programmes only produce 14 per year. How is the Government planning to increase the availability of mental health services when the staff are simply not there? We discussed increasing budgets. We can have all the money in the world, but if we do not have the staff, services will not be available. The maths does not really add up.
We estimate that establishing just 12 additional CAMHS teams would cost around €10 million, a modest investment for a potentially life-saving impact. If we want to increase the number of child psychologists in the country, we need to have a more streamlined approach to qualifying. Currently, many undergraduates abandon their desire to pursue graduate programmes as they are applying year on year with no success. The Government can fix the mental health crisis, but without the staff to provide services, children will be left waiting.
Loneliness is a huge issue for young men and farmers, in particular. I mention SOSAD in Cavan. Any money it receives goes directly to front-line services. It is not caught up in bureaucracy. There was to be a service level agreement with the HSE but that is still not in place. I ask for an update on that from the Minister of State.
Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael)
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Before I ask the Minister of State to respond, I welcome St. Canice's Girls National School from Finglas today. You are very welcome to the Chamber. You are here for a timely debate. We are talking about mental health and what we as a Government and Members of the Seanad can do to support mental health. The Minister of State with responsibility for mental health will respond to the debate. What we can do to help your well-being is to tell your teachers that you have no homework tonight or tomorrow night, whichever suits. I hope you have a lovely day.
Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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A lot of issues were raised today and many comprehensive and supportive comments have been made. I have to take offence at a few and I will go through them one at a time. It is great we are all here today discussing mental health. That is the most important thing. Every time we speak about mental health, we lessen the stigma.
I cannot respond to any individual cases. I will not respond to individual organisations. What I will say is that when organisations are seeking funding from the mental health budget, certain things have to be in place. Organisations have to have a board. It is also very important that they have accounts they can bring forward when seeking funding. They need to have governance, including clinical governance. I will not stand over any organisation that cannot provide me with the proper clinical governance in terms of supporting people. Clinical governance is essential.
I hear constantly that the Government will not fund such-and-such an organisation. Last year, the mental health budget provided €110 million to organisations. I am struck by the briefing notes provided to some Senators. Some Senators have sought funding, which is fair enough. I am a Deputy and I will always do that. However, some Senators criticised the fact that €97 million was spent on private organisations. I would advise those Senator that the correct figure is €110 million, which was allocated to organisations like Jigsaw, MyMind, turn2me, the Samaritans, Pieta House and Mental Health Ireland. Any Senators who have a problem with funding being allocated to private organisations must realise they are, in fact, NGOs. They have service level agreements. I ask Senators to let me know which of the organisations they would like me to defund. I have no problem looking at that.
Some Senators mentioned dual diagnosis and there are some inaccuracies about that. Sharing the Vision, our mental health policy, was announced in 2020 and I am surprised some people did not know it is very clear that dual diagnosis is included. It was not included in the previous policy, A Vision for Change, which was problematic. People were siloed. Those with addiction issues could not go for mental health support and vice versa.
In 2023, I launched a new model of care in respect of dual diagnoses. The model of care acknowledged that treatment options need to address people's mental health problems and deal with addiction issues at the same time. It also recommended the development of 12 adult and four youth and adolescent teams. We are now building this up because we have to build services incrementally from a funding perspective and get the right staff. At the moment, we have two adult teams and two adolescent teams in operation. In budget 2025, I secured funding for a further two teams which will be operational this year. We started in 2023, and by the end of this year, six teams will be up and running. It takes time. As I say, it takes a village. I will continue to do that work as long as I am in this role. To be very clear, we are not ignoring the area. Budget 2025 has additional funding of a recurring €1.3 million to start the two new teams. It takes a while to build a team. They are led by a consultant psychiatrist. It is very important that these multidisciplinary teams are built. We are making progress on this but I acknowledge the situation with dual diagnosis and the big problems we have with addiction.
I acknowledge Stephen Sheil, the communications and engagement manager from Mental Health Reform, who has sat through the entire debate. I thank him and the entire team for their continued support.
I want to touch on the recent report from the chief inspector of the Mental Health Commission into mental health care in emergency departments. The report made important recommendations on the timeliness of assessments following presentation to emergency departments. I do not believe emergency departments are the appropriate environment for people in mental health crisis. At the same time, the reality is that this is what we are dealing with at present. There have been many calls for separate rooms or a separate pathway in but these would not lessen the stigma of somebody who has a mental health issue. We all have mental health and many of us have positive mental health. Many people are challenged at different times with regard to their emotional well-being and their peace of mind. At the same time, when people are in distress we need to keep rolling out the crisis resolution teams, which we are doing at present, and the crisis cafes, which are very supportive. For example, the new cafe I opened in Cork last year, on Sullivan's Quay down beside the River Lee, has reduced by 18% the presentations of people in crisis. We continue to do this across the board.
We also continue to roll out suicide crisis assessment nurses, SCANs. There was talk about high levels of suicide in the Cavan and Monaghan area. I was delighted to see figures this morning from Cavan and Monaghan with regard to CAMHS, with seven children on a waiting list. This is not the case in the rest of the country. There are areas that can perform very well on some issues. I provided two SCANs in Cavan and Monaghan, which had been requested by Deputy Niamh Smyth. These two SCANs have had a big impact.
Another issue on which I am spending a lot of time is CAMHS because I am not happy with where we are on waiting lists. I am far from happy. This year the budget for CAMHS is €167 million. As I have said, €110 million is provided to community-based mental health organisations. They are not private organisations but community-based mental health organisations. I have to distance myself from a comment made by Senator Stephenson, who said that CAMHS is not fit for purpose. As I stand here, young people throughout Ireland are receiving appointments from multidisciplinary CAMHS teams. Everybody who goes to work in CAMHS goes with the best of intentions to do the best they can. CAMHS has taken a hammering in recent years. I will not stand up and allow this to happen. There are 810 people working in CAMHS at present. There are 80 consultant psychiatrists. Every single one of them goes to work every day to do the very best for the young people they see.
I have said quite clearly I am not happy with the waiting lists and I have visited six CAMHS teams in the past four weeks. I will visit two more on Monday. We have to delve into the reasons for this. Some teams may not have as many staff as others, they might have a bigger catchment area or the premises might not be appropriate. There are many reasons. The funding is being provided. Unfortunately, we see more and more children presenting with issues. It is correct to state there is pent-up demand since Covid, and young people are very distressed. They are distressed with regard to their mental health and with regard to trauma issues or issues they may be dealing with at home. I thank everybody who works in CAMHS every day of the week because it is not an easy job. Senator Stephenson made the statement that CAMHS is not fit for purpose when 23,000 appointments were issued to young people last year. It does a phenomenal job working with very vulnerable and sick children. I want to give a shout out to all of those working in CAMHS because it is very important.
Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael)
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I remind the Minister of State we are to conclude now at 1.15 p.m., but if she wants another minute or two to conclude, she may have it.
Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I do need more time because I have to speak about the Limerick community access support team, CAST. I am conscious that two of the Senators sitting in front of me are from Limerick. Limerick CAST is a pilot project. It is a partnership between An Garda Síochána and the HSE. I was thrilled to launch it last year. The CAST pilot became operational in January 2025 and is already having a significant impact. To date, the project has had 196 interactions involving 35 diversions from an emergency department. This means those people in distress did not attend the busy environment. Of the interactions with the CAST team, 78% were deemed to have had a major impact on a person's life. I look forward to further talks on CAST because it is the way forward as is mainstreaming crisis resolution teams and the crisis cafes, and making sure there are supports during the vital times out of hours when somebody is very ill, perhaps with psychosis or a dual diagnosis. Gardaí turn up on their own without the support of mental health services. We have learned that if they come together it can be very effective.
I have taken on board all of the comments on Wexford and various organisations requiring funding. I will come back to the Senators on some of the issues they have raised. I thank the Senators because any day we can come into the Seanad to discuss mental health is a good day. The most important thing we can all say today to everyone we meet is "hello, how are you?" and then listen to the answer. The interaction of saying "hello, how are you today?" might make all the difference to a person who is struggling.
Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State. I welcome guests of Deputy Jennifer Whitmore from St. Kilian's school, Bray. They are very welcome. I hope they enjoy their day here. They have been listening to a debate on mental health and, in particular, mental health of young people. We have been discussing it for the past hour and a half. As is tradition in the House, the teachers are to give the students no homework tonight, and if they had no homework tonight, it is tomorrow night they are to get no homework. Since I have been here for the past hour and a half I have given no homework to half the country.
Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael)
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I actually am. When is it proposed to sit again?