I propose to take Questions Nos. 176 and 177 together.
This Government is committed to implementing A Vision for Change and reforming our model of healthcare delivery so that more and better quality care is delivered in the community.
The HSE provides a wide range of community and hospital based mental health services in Ireland. The General Adult Community Mental Health Teams deliver best practice, community based care and provide services for people with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). In 2011, the National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP) funded a number of Community Mental Health Teams to provide evidence based Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) which has increasingly been shown to be effective for people with BPD.
A special allocation of €35m for mental health was announced in Budget 2012 in line with the Programme for Government commitments. Funding from this special allocation will be used primarily to strengthen Community Mental Health Teams in both Adult and Children's mental health services which will further develop services for those with BPD. It is intended that the additional resources will be rolled out in conjunction with a scheme of appropriate clinical care programmes based on an early intervention and recovery approach. These programmes which are currently in development will include one specifically for complex mental health conditions such as eating disorders and BPD.
Last year, I appointed a Steering Group of senior officials from my Department, the HSE and the Mental Health Commission to commence the process of reviewing the Mental Health Act 2001. The Review included a public consultation process, a call for submissions and several meetings with key sectorial stakeholder organisations. The Group has now completed its Interim Report which is under consideration. The second and more substantive phase of this review is expected to commence in the near future.