Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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478. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to increase the resources allocated to the child and adolescent mental health services; the improvements he has planned to increase capacity per region, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39898/16]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Budget 2017 provided significant additional funding for mental health, which means that the HSE funding for this key care programme will increase from around €826 million in 2016 to €851 million next year. New service initiatives on Child and Adolescent Mental Health services are being progressed in the context of finalising both the overall HSE Service Plan 2017 and the more detailed regional Operational Plan for Mental Health. These will be published by the HSE in the near future.

The agreed 2016 mental health development priorities cover improvement of counselling services; enhanced Community Mental Health teams; improved 7/7 response and Liaison Services; and Perinatal Mental Health. We have introduced also two new mental health clinical programmes - ADHD in Adults and Children, and Dual Diagnosis of those with Mental Illness and Substance Misuse. Priorities to be addressed in the new HSE Service Plan include Positive Mental Health and Early Intervention enhancements for youth mental health; improvements to Child & Adolescent community-based services; developing the Eating Disorders Clinical Programme for young people, and expanded CAMHS forensic mental health care. There will be continued enhancement of Out-of-Hours responses, and development of Primary Care counselling services for those under age 18. In addition, the HSE will continue to develop the existing 10 Jigsaw sites, and the development of new sites in Dublin, Cork and Limerick.

These initiatives are all relevant to supporting the wider objectives of the National Taskforce on Youth Mental Health. Development of service user and carer engagement at CHO level, including that relating to young people, and the Advancing Recovery Ireland programme with recruitment of peer support workers, is also being provided for over 2017.