Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Health the annual costs of mental health to the State and the wider economy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38407/12]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Mental health services (including hospital, community and primary care) are provided by both the HSE and the private sector. In 2012, 5.3% of the Health Service Executive Budget (€707 million) will be spent on specialist mental health services. This is a lower percentage than in previous years as prior to 2012 the figures in the Revised Estimates for Public Services for Health Care Group Areas such as mental Health included an allocated share in relation to both pension and corporate costs, which are now shown separately. About 1 in 4 people will experience some mental health problems in their lifetime, approximately 90% of mental health problems are dealt with in primary care and some 30% of people who attend primary care have a mental health problem and expenditure on these services is not captured in this percentage.

A Report published in 2008 for the ntal Health Commission - The Economics of Mental Healthcare in Ireland (O'Shea and Kennelly) estimated the overall economic cost of mental health problems in Ireland at just over €3 billion in 2006 largely in lost employment / productivity and the cost of healthcare provision.