Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)
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Question 280: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the names of the members of the Office for Disability and Mental Health. [11203/09]

John Moloney (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The Office for Disability & Mental Health was created to support the Minister of State for Disability & Mental Health at the Department of Health and Children in exercising his responsibilities within the Departments of Health & Children, Justice, Equality & Law Reform, Education & Science and Enterprise, Trade & Employment. The Office for Disability and Mental Health was established on the basis that the Office would be staffed from within existing resources as per Government policy on public service numbers. An existing Director of the Department of Health and Children was appointed to head up the new Office.

The Office is built around the existing units in the Department of Health and Children dealing with Disability and Mental Health. The Director of the Office is a member of the Government's Senior Officials Group on Social Inclusion. The head of the new Office is a member of the Management Advisory Committee (MAC) in the Department of Health and Children and has the right to attend MAC meetings in the Departments of Education and Science, Enterprise, Trade and Employment and Justice, Equality & Law Reform where issues relating to disability and mental health are on the agenda of these meetings.

There are quarterly meetings between the Minister of State, the four Secretary Generals and the head of the Office. Formal arrangements have also been developed to improve linkages between the new Office and the Departments of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Education and Science and Enterprise, Trade and Employment including regular meetings between senior management from the four Departments with the Director of the Office.