James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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497. To ask the Minister for Health the total expenditure on mental health in 2016; and the equivalent figures on a like-for-like basis in terms of services provided in each of the years from 2011 to 2015, inclusive, taking into consideration any reclassifications of expenditure between 2011 and 2015. [32078/16]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The current HSE mental health budget is €826.6 million.

The last Government provided additional ring-fenced mental health funding of €160 million over 2012 - 16 inclusive. On a year-by-year basis, however, the HSE mental health budget has also been subject to restrictions which have applied to health expenditure generally, including downward adjustments for public service pay reductions and procurement savings similar to other HSE service areas. In addition, unspent development funds due to recruitment restrictions in 2013 and 2014 were either returned to the Exchequer or used to meet unavoidable costs in other areas. In total, taking account of the various movements, a €115 million, or 16%, increase in the HSE's mental health budget is identified in the HSE Service Plans between 2012 and 2016 inclusive. This is a very significant increase having regard to the constraints on general health spending over the period.

The overall gross non-capital HSE National Service Plan mental health budget for 2012 – 16 is as follows: