Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)
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Question 149: To ask the Minister for Health and Children her views on the statement by the Joint Committee on Health and Children in June 2006 that funding for mental health services is allocated in a random manner with scant regard for need. [35536/06]

Tim O'Malley (Limerick East, Progressive Democrats)
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This question relates to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004.

The Health Service Executive (HSE) has informed my Department that the National Mental Health Directorate of the Health Service Executive took a population-based approach in allocating new resources in 2006.

The 2002 Census data was used and the SAHRU (Small Area Health Research Unit) Deprivation Index was employed to pinpoint areas of deprivation in recognition of the close correlation between social deprivation & mental illness. As the Mental Health Act, 2001 places a particular emphasis on the role of the Consultant Psychiatrist, the availability of Consultants was an important driver in decision making in 2006. Consultants were taken as a proxy for teams. It is recognised by the HSE that many teams are incomplete at this time and work to address this is the focus of further analysis following the Census 2006.

The HSE's "Vision for Change" Implementation Group has identified the need for a comprehensive exercise to analyse concerns regarding funding inequity and resource availability nationally and intends to include this exercise in its workplan for 2007, building on the work already in train.