I propose to take Questions Nos. 609, 636 and 663 together.
Following on from the special allocation of €35 million for mental health in Budget 2012, a further €35 million was provided in Budget 2013 for the continued development of our mental health services. The HSE National Service Plan 2013 commits to a number of objectives including the further development of suicide prevention initiatives and forensic services; community mental health teams for adults, children and older persons and for mental health intellectual disability; and to the recruitment of 477 additional staff to implement these measures.
In order to ensure that the additional resources will be used to best effect, the HSE, in consultation with the Department of Health, is working towards finalising the allocation of these resources. Business cases from each HSE Region are being finalised and examined, against each of the identified objectives, detailing how the funding is to be spent and the type and number of WTE to be recruited. It is expected that this process will be concluded in the very near future with a view to recruitment of the additional staff proceeding as soon as possible. 384 of the 414 posts approved in 2012 have either been filled, are under offer or awaiting clearance. I have been assured by the HSE that the recruitment process for the new posts being funded in 2013 and any outstanding posts from the 414 approved in 2012 is being given priority within the HSE.
Dealing with the current high levels of suicide and deliberate self harm is a priority for this Government. Reach Out our National Strategy for Action on Suicide Prevention recognises the youth sector as a high risk group and sets out a number of specific actions. Consequently, the HSE's National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP) has developed a range of initiatives aimed specifically at supporting young people who are suicidal and also supporting their peers in recognising and responding appropriately to signs of emotional distress and suicidal thoughts.
The annual budget for suicide prevention increased this year to over €13 million. Over €8 million of this is provided to the NOSP to fund voluntary and statutory agencies delivering services in the area of prevention, intervention, postvention and research. This includes an additional €1 million from the €35 million allocation for 2013 (above). The remaining €5 million for suicide prevention is available regionally to fund HSE Resource Officers for Suicide Prevention, Self-Harm Liaison Nurses in Hospital Emergency Departments and local suicide prevention initiatives.
The NOSP is reviewing its current activities to make the most of our available resources, including looking at best practice internationally to inform evidence-based policy decisions. This will result in a revised strategic approach for 2013 and will inform the final phase of Reach Out, our National Strategy for Action on Suicide Prevention which runs until 2014. I expect that the HSE will approve the revised approach in the very near future.
This reviewed approach will build on progress made to date, which includes the provision of awareness and training programmes such as safeTALK and ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training), National Mental Health Awareness Campaigns as well as the Guidelines for Post-Primary Schools on Mental Health & Suicide Prevention which were jointly developed with the Department of Education and Skills.
