Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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164. To ask the Minister for Health the cost of extending access to the counselling in primary care service to all those aged 16 to 25 years of age; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41063/17]

Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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As indicated in the HSE Service Plan 2017, the Counselling in Primary Care Service expects to see around 8,900 adults this year, and collaboration is also progressing between mental health and primary care in relation to developing counselling for those under age 18. Around 3,000 adults will also be seen by the HSE National Counselling Service. Other service initiatives aimed at developing counselling or advice from a prevention or early intervention point of view include, for example, the prioritisation this year of new Jigsaw services at Dublin, Cork and Limerick and the enhancement of Primary Care psychology through the provision of an additional 114 Assistant Psychologists.

As the planning and scoping of any proposal to extend services is primarily a operational matter, in the light of changing demand or other relevant factors, this would first of all have to be considered by the HSE, in the overall context of competing demands and resource limitations. I have, therefore, asked the Executive to respond in further detail direct to the Deputy on this matter raised.