Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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809. To ask the Minister for Health if the €35 million in ring-fenced funding for the development of mental health services in budget 2012 and the further €35 million in ring-fenced funding in this area in budget 2013 has now been fully spent in this area; the way this €35 million in 2012 and the €35 million in 2013 was spent; the number of additional staff that have now been employed in the delivery of mental health services as a result of this funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1021/14]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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In 2012, a special allocation of €35m and 414 additional posts were provided for mental health to be used primarily to further strengthen Community Mental Health Teams in both adult and children's mental health services, to advance activities in the area of suicide prevention, to initiate the provision of psychological and counselling services in primary care, specifically for people with mental health problems and to facilitate the re-location of mental health service users from institutional care to more independent living arrangements in their communities, in line with A Vision for Change.

Budgetary pressures generally within the HSE delayed the full utilisation of the €35 million allocated in Budget 2012 for the development of community mental heath services. However this sum was available again in 2013, together with a further additional €35 million 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. The 2013 allocation provided for the recruitment of 477 additional staff to implement these measures. In addition, to ensure best use of the additional ring-fenced funding for both 2012 and 2013 the HSE carried out a comprehensive business planning process for the new posts envisaged for those allocations. This was completed by mid-2013 and enabled recruitment to move forward.

Recruitment of the posts approved for both 2012 and 2013 is continuing. As at the end of November, 2013 the recruitment process is complete or in the final stages for 394 or 95% of the 414 posts approved in 2012. Of the posts approved in 2013, the recruitment process is complete for 137.5 or 29% of the posts, 134.5 or 28% have been accepted and are being processed for clearance and 165 or 35% are at earlier stages of the recruitment or HR process. The posts related to the €35 million allocated in 2013 will continue to come on stream and are targeted to be completed in Quarter 2 of 2014.

There are, however, a number of posts for which there are difficulties in identifying suitable candidates due to factors including availability of qualified candidates and geographic location. The HSE's National Recruitment Service 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. Options to enable more local recruitment are also being considered where this will assist in filling specific posts. I have received assurances from the HSE that the recruitment process for these posts is being given priority within the HSE.