Written answers

Tuesday, 20 October 2020

Department of Health

Traveller Community

Photo of Patrick CostelloPatrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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695. To ask the Minister for Health the amount of extra funding that will be allocated towards services for members of the Traveller community in view of the increased funding for mental health announced under budget 2021. [31474/20]

Photo of Frank FeighanFrank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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An additional €23 million in the mental health allocation in Budget 2021 will be allocated to commence implementation of Sharing the Vision – A Mental Health Policy for Everyone, including enhancement of mental health community teams, child and adolescent mental health services, crisis resolution services, development of clinical care programmes and investment in peer support workers and employment supports.

The policy promises an individualistic approach to mental health service provision. Sharing the Vision acknowledges Travellers have specific needs, and are included as part of the whole population, to whom the policy promotes individual response and treatment for each person. Sharing the Vision also recognises that additional work is required to promote positive mental health and build resilience among specific priority groups such as the Traveller Community.

The new policy focusses on developing a broad based, whole-of-system mental health policy for the whole population while providing effective specialist mental health services. The new policy is action orientated and focussed on bringing about tangible changes in people’s lives.

Separately, Budget 2021 provides an allocation of €10m for new development relating to my Ministerial remit on drugs policy and inclusion health. This includes €2.1m to enhance access to health services for socially excluded groups, including €270,000 to expand Traveller health units.

I welcome the additional funding for Traveller health in Budget 2021 as the first phase of the forthcoming HSE Traveller health action plan.

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