Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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359. To ask the Minister for Health if resources for support services for young persons who are LGBT will be enhanced in the run up to the referendum on marriage equality arising from the negative commentary and misinformation that could form part of the campaign and which could have serious negative impacts on the mental health of young persons who are LGBT; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40322/14]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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While it is not proposed to put specific service enhancements for young persons who are LGBT in place in the context of the proposed referendum on marriage equality, the Government is prioritising the development of mental health and suicide prevention services overall, including those relating to young people. Dedicated funding of around €125m has been provided since 2012 to enhance all aspects of services, to realise implementation of A Vision for Change. Our commitment is reinforced by the €35m announced in the recent Budget to progress various new initiatives next year.

The HSE Service Plan 2014 provides in the region of €766m for mental health services, including progressing the phased implementation of over 1,100 new posts allocated to enhance services at local and regional levels. Services overall have been expanded this year, to strengthen Community Mental Health Teams for both adults and children and to enhance specialist community mental health services for older people with a mental illness, those with an intellectual disability and mental illness, and forensic mental health services.Services will be developed further in light of new initiatives to be agreed in the context of the HSE Service Plan for 2015.

To-date, upwards of 230 new posts has been allocated to the Child and Adolescent Services (CAMHS), in respect of those under 18 years of age requiring services or supports. The HSE recently commenced an initiative to improve various operational aspects of the CAMHS service, including access to and use of CAMHS. This involves, for example, looking in greater detail at trends in performance and underlying contributing factors, consultant capacity and availability, and correlation with other related services in regard to the nature or complexity of those waiting for service.

There are a range of supports available to young people with mental health difficulties, either through services provided directly by the HSE, or through various non-statutory agencies funded by the Executive. In particular, this includes support by the National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP) for LGBT advocacy groups, such as GLEN, Belong To or other groups that also cover, to some degree as part of their overall mental health services, LGBT issues relating to young persons.

A wide ambit of supports are available to young people ranging from, for example, initial counselling at Primary Care level through to community or in-patient care under the Mental Health programme. Therefore, bearing in mind all the circumstances raised by the Deputy, I am satisfied that it is open to any young person who may face serious negative mental health impacts arising from the proposed referendum, or for whatever other reason, to access relevant existing services delivered by the HSE or the many agencies funded by it, operating in this area.