Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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48. To ask the Minister for Health when the independent monitoring body for Sharing the Vision will be established; the details of the membership of the body; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23688/20]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The refreshed national mental health policy, Sharing the Vision – A National Mental Health Policy for Everyone, published in June 2020, recommends that a National Implementation and Monitoring Committee (NIMC) be established to oversee implementation of the policy. This committee will be mandated to drive reconfiguration, monitor progress against outcomes and deliver on the commitments made in this policy, which will have a 10-year duration.

The Department of Health, in consultation with the HSE, is currently developing the terms of reference and membership requirements for this committee. It is expected that the committee will work with partners to evaluate performance against key performance indicators, and will check overall progress so that the system will be in a position to respond effectively to support population mental health needs. Furthermore, it is anticipated that sub-committees will be established to progress specific actions contained in the policy. The NIMC committee will report to the Minister of State for Mental Health & Older People, and to the relevant Cabinet Committee.

It is envisaged that the NIMC committee and sub-committees will be representative of those stakeholders involved in ensuring effective delivery of the policy recommendations, including strong service user, service provider and voluntary sector representation.

All input received during the consultation on the policy, and any other stakeholder views, will be considered in establishing the committee. The committee’s proposed membership composition and terms of reference, when finalised, will be submitted to the Cabinet. I anticipate that that the committee will be established by October 2020.