Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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228. To ask the Minister for Health the extent to which adequate and financial provision remains available to his Department to meet the requirements of the mental health services with particular reference to the need to ensure the maintenance of the necessary supportive structures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28590/18]

Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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The strengthening of Mental Health Services is a priority for me and for this Government.  The mental health budget has risen from €711 million in 2012 to over €912 million in 2018, an increase of over €200m, or around 28%, in six years. I have already secured agreement from the Minister for Public Expenditure that the budget will increase by a further €55 Million in 2019.

This funding increase has helped to increase staffing levels, introduce new posts, improve our seven-days-a-week response and liaison services and to develop new clinical programmes.

In April 10,008 staff were employed in mental health services. Staffing levels in mental health services  show an increase of approximately 193 when compared to the April 2017  figure. In excess of 2,000 new posts have been approved since 2012 up to the end of 2017, of which some 1,352 have been recruited or are in the recruitment process.

While the level of vacancies and difficulty in recruiting skilled staff continues to pose a significant challenge to service provision, particularly in CAMHS, the provision of 136 new Primary Care Psychologists (including 22 basic grade psychology posts and 114 Assistant Psychologists) aims to reduce pressure on specialist CAMHS. Another measure in this area has seen the increase of Psychiatric Nurse Undergraduates places by 130 per year by 2021/22.

In relation to improved 7/7 (seven-days-a-week) response and liaison services, the HSE is now in the final stages of recruiting the staff required to deliver 7/7 Mental Health service cover for the areas that do not currently have a service in place.

Work continues to progress on mental health Clinical Programmes such as the Eating Disorder Care Programme, Perinatal Mental Health, ADHD in Adults and Children, and Dual Diagnosis of those with Mental Illness and Substance Misuse.

While funding mental health services, which is not exclusive to my department, is an important component of achieving a reduction in suicides and improved services, simply adding more money to the budget will not improve mental health services on its own. I would welcome proposals outlining recommendations and proposed actions from any organisation, which can in turn be evaluated on outcomes and available funding.