Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)
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Question 15: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the cost of a supplement (details supplied) to the Health Service Executive. [14815/09]

John Moloney (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The supplement referred to by the Deputy was published at the request of the Health Service Executive (HSE). I have been advised by the HSE that, in its view, in the past mental illness was fraught with taboo and stigma, thanks to more awareness, openness, education and progressive treatments, things are changing. This supplement provided increased awareness as well as important information to both service users and the general public on mental health services available today.

The supplement also highlighted that with the right supports and lifestyle choices, such as controlling our stress and alcohol consumption, we can protect ourselves from some mental illnesses. It is important that the public are aware that the backbone of the HSE approach is to move away from institutions towards providing more care, using modern approaches, locally within people's own communities.

The supplement in the Sunday Independent of 22nd March 2009, "Vision for Change - Reshaping Mental Health in Ireland" is the third in a series of supplements which the HSE has sponsored. The mental health services in the HSE and their voluntary partners in mental health were invited to submit articles demonstrating the innovative work they were engaged in modernising the mental health services in line with the recommendations of A Vision for Change. The supplement is distributed via the Sunday Independent to over 300,000 readers and additional copies were retained for services users, carers, GPs, libraries and other community services on request. The total cost for the editorial, design, layout, printing and distribution of the supplement is €40,000 including 21.5% VAT which works out at .13 cent per copy.

The supplement was designed to acknowledge the innovative work and modern practice of mental health colleagues throughout the country and to showcase their efforts and encourage all services to adopt the more modern service approaches described in A Vision for Change. It is important for the public as service funders to understand that their investment in mental health bears a dividend and that service quality, choice and recovery are real options. For example as part of the HSE programme to build local care teams for every 10,000 people across the country, it is establishing teams of experts that will concentrate on providing community based mental health care. It is also establishing teams that will look after the mental health needs of children and adolescents. About one quarter of the population will experience a mental health difficulty at some stage in their life. 90% of the care they may ever need could be provided within their local communities.

The HSE believes that this supplement highlights some of the important developments taking place in Mental Health Services today in line with "A Vision for Change".