Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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553. To ask the Minister for Health when a national lead for youth mental health will be in place in line with recommendation 8 of the National Youth Mental Health Taskforce Report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54099/18]

Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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The Department of Health published the Youth Mental Health Task Force report in December 2017. The recommendations of the Taskforce have now been incorporated into the service plans of a number of lead agencies, many of which do not fall directly under the aegis of the Department. The implementation timeframes are outlined in the report itself, and there is an overall three year timeframe for completing all of the actions contained in the report. The HSE have established a working group to put into action the recommendations contained in the report where they are named as the lead agency. The group are in the process of defining the job specification for the post of national youth mental health lead.

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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554. To ask the Minister for Health when the Pathfinder project will be implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54100/18]

Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Having obtained Civil Service Management Board and Ministerial approval, the establishment of a youth mental health Pathfinder team is a mental health priority for the Department of Health. The proposal is to utilise Section 12 of the Public Service Management Act 1997 to formalise a new model for collaborative working within Government, and placing these on a statutory footing. This section has never been utilised before, and there are a number of administrative, budgetary, governance and legal arrangements that need to be put in place to ensure a robust and workable model for Pathfinder. Currently consultation is ongoing between the Department of Health and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to progress these issues as soon as possible.