Carol Nolan (Offaly, Independent)
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375. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to ring-fence an allocation of mental health service funding to extend delivery to a 24-7 service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41892/18]

Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Progressing the provision of a seven-day-a-week mental health service in all areas of Ireland is a HSE priority. Approximately 60% of the country was already providing weekend services prior to the implementation of the seven-day-a-week project. Since June 2017 considerable work has been done to assign resources to those remaining areas which were without weekend services. The further development of 24-hour Mental Health Service is being considered in light of the evidence coming from the implementation of the seven-day-a-week service in relation to demand for out-of-hours services and staffing needs for this. It is envisaged that all CHOs will have some level of a seven-day-a-week cover by Quarter 1, 2019.

Budget 2019 allocated an additional €84 million to mental health services, bringing the Mental Health budget to almost €1 billion, an increase of 40% on 2012. €35 million is apportioned for new developments, while €20 million is for the further growth of projects commenced in 2018. It must be noted however that the new developments will be progressed in the context of both the overall HSE Service Plan 2018, and the more detailed regional Operational Plan for Mental Health. These will be published by the HSE in the near future.