Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 139: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will offer a commitment to maintain funding for mental health services at their current level in view of the fact that spending in this field is now at its lowest level in modern history, more than half of all staff cut from the Health Service Executive in 2009 came from mental health services despite mental health representing just 9% of the HSE workforce, residential conditions in some centres are inhumane, 200 children were admitted to adult centres due to the dearth of appropriate facilities and persons with intellectual disabilities are inappropriately placed in psychiatric institutions in large numbers, and given that the recession makes the demand and necessity for well funded mental health services all the greater. [40789/10]

John Moloney (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The HSE is working within limited financial resources.The appropriate management of the public finances means that the health sector, which represents over 27% of public expenditure, must operate within the approved budget set out at the start of the year.Under Section 31(1) of the Health Act, 2004, the HSE is required to prepare an annual National Service Plan.The Plan, which must indicate the type and volume of health and personal social services to be provided by the HSE, is submitted to the Minister for Health and Children for approval.The appropriate management of the health services also means that the mental health services must be funded in an equitable and sustainable manner.

The estimated cost of the implementation of 'A Vision for Change' is €150m over 7 – 10 years.Development funding totalling €54 million has been allocated to the HSE since the launch of the Report in 2006.In addition, almost €1 million was allocated this year under the Dormant Accounts Fund for a programme of suicide prevention measures to help communities to develop integrated local action plans for suicide prevention.To further the implementation of 'A Vision for Change', the 2010 Employment Control Framework for the health service provided an exemption from the moratorium on recruitment and allowed 100 psychiatric posts to be filled by nurses or therapists.

There are substantial resources already invested in mental health.The reconfiguring and remodelling of these resources will be the main focus for the immediate future. While implementation of 'A Vision for Change' has been somewhat slower than originally anticipated it is important to say that in many parts of the country, services are pressing ahead with the implementation of the policy.Significant progress has been achieved including: shorter episodes of inpatient care, improved child and adolescent mental health services, fewer involuntary admissions and the involvement of service users in all aspects of mental health policy, service planning and delivery.Acute admissions to St Brendan's Hospital have ceased.Plans for the transfer of acute inpatient admissions from St Ita's Hospital to a new purpose built unit on the Beaumont Hospital Campus are proceeding.New Community Nursing Units in Ballinasloe and Mullingar have been developed.

The number of child and adolescent inpatient beds will increase from 30 to 52 before the end of 2010.This together with the Mental Health Commission code of practice relating to the admission of children under the Mental Health Act 2001 will greatly reduce the need to admit children to adult units.