Colm Keaveney (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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64. To ask the Minister for Health the reason funding has been withdrawn from the National Service Users Executive in 2014; if this action is compatible with the implementation of A Vision for Change; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6928/14]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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A Vision for Change recommended that a National Service User Executive (NSUE) be established to inform mental health policy makers and service providers on issues relating to user involvement and participation in planning, delivering, evaluating and monitoring services. Both, the HSE and I fully recognise the importance of ensuring service user involvement in the on-going development of our mental health services, have supported the establishment and development of the NSUE and collaborated closely with the NSUE in the delivery of its remit.

However, since October 2012, the HSE has been pursuing with the NSUE issues regarding the governance and day to day management of the organisation raised with it by some NSUE Executive members and some staff of the NSUE. Unfortunately, the HSE has been unable to bring these matters to a satisfactory resolution to date due to the unavailability of key individuals from NSUE over an extended period of time. Arising in part out of that experience, I understand that the HSE having lost confidence in the capacity of the NSUE to operate in accordance with the financial regulations of the public service which apply to all publicly funded organisations, took the decision to cease the funding of the organisation from July 2013.

In line with mental health policy, the HSE, in September 2013, commenced a consultation process with a range of stakeholders representing service users, family members and carers to seek to determine how the independent voices of service users, family members and carers will continue to be heard and heeded in the development and delivery of mental health services into the future.

In addition, the HSE recently appointed an Interim Head of Service User Engagement and agreement has also been reached on the establishment of a Reference Group to provide service user, family member and carer input to new organisational structures.