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Mental Health Services.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 July 2004

Thursday, 8 July 2004

Questions (249, 250)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Question:

243 Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health and Children the steps he has taken or will take to increase spending on mental health services from the 6% of Budget 2004 to at least the previous level of 11% of Budget 2002. [21111/04]

View answer

Written answers

The estimate for mental health expenditure in 2004 is €661.35 million or 6.7% of the total health budget while in 2002 expenditure on mental health was 6.9% of the total health expenditure. When evaluating these figures, it must be borne in mind that in-patient care has always been the most expensive element of the mental health service and with the consistent reduction in psychiatric bed numbers and the ongoing transfer of intellectually disabled and elderly patients to other settings, it is to be expected that expenditure relative to other services would fall.

Since 1997, approximately €90 million additional revenue funding has been invested in the mental health services. In the main, this funding is being used to provide additional medical and health professional staff for expanding community mental health services, to increase child and adolescent services, to expand the later-life psychiatric services, to provide liaison psychiatric services in general hospitals and to enhance the support provided to voluntary agencies.

Substantial progress has been made in recent years in ensuring that those in need of mental health services receive care and treatment in the most appropriate setting. I am committed to the provision of quality care in the area of mental health and I will be endeavouring to secure additional funding for this sector in the coming years. The further development of our mental health services will be considered in the context of the estimates process for 2005 and subsequent years.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Question:

244 Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health and Children the measures he has taken to expand the number of psychiatric beds in Tallaght Hospital; and the waiting list for the existing beds. [21112/04]

View answer

Responsibility for the provision of the services referred to by the Deputy rests with the Eastern Regional Health Authority. My Department has therefore asked the regional chief executive to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and reply to him directly.

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