Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 September 2021
1166. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Health the amount of the €23 million announced in Budget 2021 for Sharing the Vision that has been released to the HSE to date; if a full breakdown will be provided of the way the €23 million has been spent to date in tabular form; if any of the funding has been used to fund existing levels of service.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41920/21]
View answerOf the €23 million allocated to commence implementation of many of the short-term recommendations of Sharing the Vision in 2021, €2.773 million has been released to the HSE. This funding has enabled the HSE to progress initiatives agreed in the National Service Plan 2021 and Sharing the Vision, including the peer support programme, individual placement support, development of the national clinical programme for early intervention psychosis, DBT programme and the recruitment of a bereavement co-ordinator under Connecting for Life, the National Strategy to Reduce Suicide.
Proposals involving a further €6.223 million in expenditure are under consideration in my Department with a view to being released as soon as possible.
I am happy to confirm that the funding allocated for new developments is being used solely for new developments. Much of the funding is for new posts and it is envisaged the majority will be filled in quarter three and quarter four of this year.
I would note that Covid-19 and the cyber-attack have negatively impacted the HSE's capacity to progress work on new developments but I would assure the Deputy that I am, along with the Department and HSE, fully committed to implementing the new developments as soon as possible.
