Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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837. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to preserve the mental health budget as part of the A Vision for Change strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10295/16]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Since 2012, significant efforts to prioritise mental health care have been made. We have provided €160 million in additional ring-fenced funding up to the end of 2016 and approved approximately 1,500 new posts for mental health, to modernise services in line with A Vision for Changeand Programme for Government 2011-2016 commitments. This includes €35 million provided for 2016, bringing the total budget available for the mental health this year to €826.6 million. A key focus has been additional posts to strengthen Community Mental Health Teams for both adults and children. This funding is also being used to enhance specialist community mental health and forensic services, increase the access to counselling and psychotherapy and for suicide prevention initiatives. Approximately 1,150 posts were filled by end-2015 with further recruitment planned.

In line with our Programme for Government, this Government is committed to meeting the recommendations of "A Vision for Change".

In 2016, our priorities will include the continued development of counselling services across both primary and secondary care including the provision of three new Jigsaw mental health services in Cork, Dublin city centre and Limerick; the continued development of Community Mental Health Teams; improved 24/7 response and Liaison Services; Psychiatry of Later Life; Perinatal Mental Health, and two new mental health clinical programmes, specifically, ADHD in Adults and Children, and Dual Diagnosis of those with Mental Illness and Substance Misuse.

A new National Forensic Mental Health Service (NFMHS) hospital is also being developed on the site of St. Ita’s Hospital, Portrane.