Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Independent)
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1056. To ask the Minister for Health the position regarding mental health reform (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34422/13]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Budgetary pressures within the HSE delayed the full utilisation of the €35 million allocated in Budget 2012 for the development of community mental heath services, but this sum is available again this year together with a further additional €35 million which was provided in Budget 2013 for the continued development of mental health services across a range of headings, including the further development of forensic services and community mental health teams for adults, children, older persons and mental health intellectual disability, and to the recruitment of 477 additional staff to implement these measures.

Each of the four HSE regions were asked to submit a business case against each of the identified objectives detailing how the funding is to be spent and the type and number of WTE to be recruited. Approval has issued all four HSE Regions to enable recruitment to commence. As at end June 2013, 117 of the 477 posts approved in 2013 had been accepted by candidates and are awaiting clearance with a further 34 posts offered to candidates.

The HSE’s National Recruitment Service (NRS) creates national panels in anticipation of vacancies. On occasion however, it is difficult to fill some posts for various reasons including geographical location, international shortage of some grades, most notably clinical Psychologists etc. The NRS is currently working to ensure that the remaining posts will be filled as soon as possible, from existing panels or through competition in the absence of panels, at the earliest opportunity. I have been assured by the HSE that the recruitment process for the new posts being funded in 2013, and any outstanding posts from the 414 approved in 2012, is being given priority within the HSE.

The €35 million allocation for mental health this year also includes €400,000 to support a national project to prepare a business case for a national mental health ICT system and to seek the necessary resources to identify and implement such a system. The HSE is currently carrying out the necessary preparatory work in this regard.

With regard to the level of funding for mental health next year, this is being considered as part of the Estimates and budgetary process for 2014.