Liam Quaide (Cork East, Social Democrats)
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177. To ask the Minister for Health for the projected costs of implementing the Mental Health Bill, including the cost of staffing that will be needed to expand the remit of the Mental Health Commission; and if there is a full funding commitment given by the Government to cover these costs. [26260/25]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The Mental Health Bill 2024 is the result of years of drafting, research, and consultation with many stakeholders in the sector, including people with lived and living experience of mental health services and their families and loved ones. It is a progressive, person-centred Bill that promotes the right of autonomy for people with severe and enduring mental health difficulties.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Mental Health Bill 2024 was published last July and completed Second Stage in the Dáil last September. A number of amendments have been prepared following further consultation with a range of key stakeholders. Following Government approval, these amendments will be published by the Bills Office and circulated to Deputies for their consideration prior to initiation of Committee Stage. I expect that details in relation to the scheduling of Committee Stage for the Bill will be confirmed in the coming weeks.

A key proposal of the Government's Bill is to provide a robust legal framework for the expansion of the Commission's regulatory powers to include all community mental health services, including community CAMHS.

While the Department expects many of the proposed changes in the Mental Health Bill 2024 to be dealt with generally within existing resources, preliminary work on costing the additional resources required by the Mental Health Commission, as the regulator of mental health services, and the HSE, as the main provider of mental health services, has been carried out.

The MHC engaged Deloitte in 2021 to review the operating model for their Regulatory Team, which includes the Inspectorate and Standards and Quality Assurance divisions. This was reviewed in early 2024. The MHC propose to increase the numbers of Assistant Inspectors to 31, who will report to six Deputy Inspectors.

This would cost in the region of €1.6m, based on existing salary levels.

In relation to the HSE, there will be an increase in the number of WTEs across different professions to meet the new statutory obligations in the Bill, including among consultant psychiatry and an increase in the number of Authorised Officers across the system. Furthermore, additional capital costs are expected to improve community residences and services, which will be regulated for the first time.

Any additional funding required to resource the Mental Health Commission and the HSE for costs arising from the Bill will be sought as part of the annual Estimates process.

A more in-depth exercise to estimate projected costs will be carried out as part of my Department's pre-commencement work on the legislation. Officials in my Department will work with key stakeholders to ready the sector for the commencement of the new Mental Health Act and will include the allocation of additional resources through the annual Estimates process.

More broadly, mental health services are moving towards more community-based care for people accessing mental health services, and away from prolonged care in inpatient mental health settings where possible, in line with our national mental health policy, Sharing the Vision, and Sláintecare. Continued investment in mental health services at all levels, including community and inpatient services, will be needed to ensure the continued efficacy and improvement of services and to continue to uphold the rights of people accessing services.

I look forward to confirming the details of Committee stage in the coming weeks, and to guiding this much anticipated Bill through the legislative process.