An additional €15 million revenue funding will be made available for the further development of our mental health services in 2005, bringing the total spend on mental health to approximately €725 million. Priority areas for additional funding will include child and adolescent psychiatry, community-based adult mental health teams, the provision of additional community residential places and the opening of new mental health facilities. It is also my intention to provide additional funding to assist voluntary agencies in the mental health area.
In addition to the €15 million for mental health services, a further €10 million is being allocated to the Mental Health Commission to enable the mental health tribunals to commence their work in 2005.