Mary Butler
Waterford · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“Major improvements are happening across services: enhanced access to proactive and preventive healthcare to support a better quality of life; the embedding and upscaling of women's health initiatives put in place through the implementation of the previous women's health action plans, including, as the Senator knows, free contraception, sp…”
“In relation to any proposal, a proposal for a new location requires a detailed business case, a premises, support from the regional HSE management, and the necessary funding to resource the staffing of the service. That is where I come into it and what I will be trying to do.”
“We are currently working closely with it to support the expansion of Jigsaw services to Waterford and the south east, as well as to County Clare. The location of Waterford was picked because we have no services in the south east at all. It is great that we will have the hub and spoke model the Senator spoke about.”
“That is where I do not agree with the Senator. I believe €180 million of funding ring-fenced for women's health, when we have come from a low base, is absolutely unbelievable.”
“The plan will build on our knowledge of women's health through research and innovation and will spotlight important areas such as endometriosis and cardiovascular health. Recently, the Minister announced €2 million in funding for women's health research.”
“This plan will continue to focus on how we can improve access to specialist endometriosis care and treatment. As the Senator knows, we have established two super-regional specialist centres, one in Tallaght University Hospital and another in Cork, alongside the development of five regional endometriosis hubs.”
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“All areas should have a HSE-led integrated group to monitor and respond to clusters. Where young people are involved, NEPS colleagues are involved and respond to children. We are also providing a response by way of bereavement support. It is important to note that we have those supports. I will say one more thing before I finish. It is the most important thing I want to say today. Let us all get the message out. This is for any Member who has constituents coming to his or her office. At the moment, we cannot get men to avail of supports. If we only take away one thing from today's debate, it should be the site yourmentalhealth.ie/men . Tonight at 5 p.m., Connect Counselling is providing free counselling to people from their kitchen tables, sofas or bedrooms.”
“Those 16 teams have now been funded and I have already been told we need another, so we have gone to 17 teams. That will come in due course. It will certainly happen. Other issues relating to the budget were raised. Some 5.6% of the overall health budget is allocated to mental health. However, I got 9% of the available staff next year, which is significant. Of the head count being provided through the HSE and the Department across all health services next year, I got 3,300 staff. That is 9% of the overall, and a head count that will do me. Once I have the staff, I must have the money to pay for them. That is important. I want to touch on the clusters, which were spoken about. There is a community response to cluster suicides. We have the National Office for Suicide Prevention guidance for local response to suicide.”
“I take a geographical perspective to see what we can do. Some 100 clinicians are now working in eating disorder specialist teams all over the country. We also have eight consultant psychiatrists. I will be making an announcement soon about our plans to develop specialist eating disorder beds for adults, which will include a proper geographical spread. I will also be making an announcement soon about perinatal mental health and the mother-and-baby unit. We are working on a plan, which is commercially sensitive, under which there will be eating disorder beds for adults and a perinatal unit in Dublin. I cannot say anymore. There will be a geographical spread for the rest of those units. The model of care proposed in 2018 included 16 teams.”
“We have recruited 87 staff into CAMHS this year. Those are new staff. Not one inpatient child in CAMHS has travelled abroad since 2020. I must put that on the record of the Dáil because I must deal in facts. Some children may have travelled privately, outside the HSE, but no child in need of CAMHS support has left Ireland since 2020. Many Members spoke about eating disorders. When I came into this post in 2020, three eating disorder teams were funded but only one was in place. We now have 11 teams in place and funding for 14. I have funded two more for next year, one adult team in the west of the country and one CAMHS team in the south east. I am not sure of the locations because the HSE, working with the Department, will determine those. I cannot specify. If I could, I would have everything in Waterford but I do not do that.”
“The waiting list today is 4,144. It was quoted as 4,500 during the debate. It was 4,500 and is now down to 4,144. The reason I prioritise those who have been waiting for longer than 12 months is that I do not want to see any waiting list where people are waiting for more than 12 months. I want waiting lists to be south of that. As a result, we have seen a 16.7% reduction since the end of July into August. That is the result of me going to meet doctors, clinicians and representatives of the HSE. Deputy Bennett spoke about mental health. There are fewer than five people waiting for service in Cavan-Monaghan. It is one of the areas about which we are pleased. Deputy Quinlivan spoke about Limerick. CAMHS in Limerick has turned itself around completely. I acknowledge his support for the CAST project, which is important.”
“I know that, but "Tullamore-Westmeath" is what the HSE identified. That is what it calls the midlands. A crisis resolution team is funded at €1 million a year, recurring, for a multidisciplinary team to work out of hours. There is also the crisis café. I have opened many cafés around the country. The crisis cafés have reduced the presentations to emergency departments by between 17% and 18%, and 20% in some areas. I recently opened one in Sligo. I want to speak in relation to where other parts of the funding are going. Additional funding of €30 million has gone into CAMHS over the last two years. A total of €30 million has gone in and the waiting list has gone up. At this time last year, the waiting list was at 3,700. When I came back after being elected, it was gone to 4,500. I have visited 21 teams in the past three months.”
“I had been in Donegal during the summer and I had been in Kerry. The third one identified by the HSE is Tullamore-Westmeath. That is where the third crisis resolution team is going.”
“That is why we had to do more. I got my final figure of 300 whole-time equivalents at 4.30 p.m. on Monday. For that reason alone there was not a huge amount of detail in the book on Tuesday, given that I have to work with the HSE and the Department of Health to determine exactly where they are going, but I have a broad outline. There will be 40 whole-time equivalents for nine model 4 hospitals and one model 3 hospital, which is the Mercy hospital in Cork because the list of presentations is so high, with 1,200 or 1,300 people presenting. This is what we worked off of. Those are 40 posts to go into the model 4 hospitals initially. I will try to fund the model 3 hospitals in next year's budget. As I could not fund the model 3 hospitals this year, I decided to put in place crisis resolution teams and Solace cafés.”
“I met with the HSE, with the REOs and the various leads across mental health. It is our job then to try to decide a focus. I have known for the last few years from my constituency office and from talking to colleagues that the crisis out of hours is significant, that is, during the time the services are closed and somebody is in distress and has suicidal ideation. Thankfully, there is a reduction in the numbers, but one suicide is one too many, as far as I am concerned. It is a very difficult situation for families and communities. The Mental Health Commission's report showed that out of hours was very challenging for many people, but also from the perspective of what we know. People were leaving emergency departments, people were feeling they were not supported and people were feeling they could not sit under the bright lights.”
“I acknowledge Deputy Peter Roche and his lived experience. He spoke about the loss of his son. It was powerful advocacy. The more we talk about mental health, the more important it is. The Opposition has a job to do. I listen and take notes. I take on board what is said. I fervently believe that this is a good budget this year, but we have to deliver the budget. There are 300 new posts across mental health. That is significant. I was never able to stand in this House before and say I had 300 new posts. As soon as the Dáil went into recess this year, and as I do every year, we started meeting with all the various organisations. I met the executive clinical directors, the clinical leads across mental health, and the NGOs that are our partners and we did two weeks of meetings to try to decide what our focus was going to be.”
“I thank everyone for being in the House this afternoon. First, I thank Ms Nicola Byrne from Shine and the team that have sat through every single word of it. I also acknowledge Deputy Clarke for sitting through every single word of it. When we have statements on mental health, it is normally on a Thursday afternoon. I could nearly write the list of people who will come in to speak because it is always the same. I thank each and every one of the people who have been here today to talk about mental health. If the Ceann Comhairle was not in the Chair, she would be sitting on the benches because she is such a strong advocate for mental health as well.”
“I secured funding to open two new early intervention youth mental health Jigsaw services in Waterford and Clare. This brings our national coverage for early intervention youth mental health services from 67% to 74%. The Mental Health Bill will continue its progress through the Seanad. Second Stage concluded a couple of weeks ago. I look forward to debating many amendments to the Bill in the weeks and months to come.”
“This is progress and reflects the focus on the issue but more needs to be done. While CAMHS is an incredibly important service for some, we must also make sure we continue to invest in upstream early intervention youth mental health services. When I visited the 21 teams, I noticed the turnaround in the Limerick area is unbelievable. It now carries only 3% of the waiting list whereas the Cork and Kerry region carries 24%. In Donegal, three CAMHS teams work together and see a lot of children. They support one other so that siloed nature is gone. Cavan-Monaghan has nobody on a waiting list. There are three regions that are significantly challenged in relation to waiting lists, however. The most important thing we can do is keep supporting the teams and focusing on those waiting.”
“In addition, approximately €110 million is provided by Government to community and voluntary organisations each year to develop mental health supports and services, with much of this focused on children and young people. A priority for me is to improve access to community CAMHS and to reduce waiting lists. Throughout this year I have been carrying out a series of visits to all HSE regional areas to impress on the teams that I need more from them. I also stressed the importance of filling all approved posts for each CAMHS team to ensure better delivery of services. A key objective for me in reducing community CAMHS waiting lists is to eliminate waits of over 12 months. At the end of August, after visiting 21 teams, there was a decrease of 121 children - almost 17% - waiting more than 12 months compared with the end July.”
“Initial findings are indicating that they are significantly reducing emergency presentations to acute hospitals by up to 20%. On youth mental health, while we have made a lot of progress there are some areas where I would like to see more, including CAMHS. In 2023, I launched the new national child and youth mental health office in the HSE to improve leadership, operational oversight and management. The office published its youth mental health action plan in February which sets out a clear roadmap across 16 themes to ensure children and families have equitable and timely access to high-quality mental health care. CAMHS receives approximately €167 million in dedicated funding annually.”
“All I have said will not work unless we get the 300 whole-time equivalents recruited and in place as quickly as possible. One of the main focuses next year has to be to make sure we can start recruitment immediately. I have already spoken to several regional executive officers across the six regions about getting the staffing done. Social prescribing services are now available in every county, with over 5,500 people accessing the service each year. An evaluation is now under way to assess how the service is performing and the outcomes for people who use it. New and expanded crisis resolution services are providing alternative care pathways to emergency departments through both multidisciplinary crisis response teams and drop-in Solace cafes.”
“It will also include two new liaison teams for mental health services for older people, a new early intervention in psychosis team, a new adult eating disorder team, an additional specialist CAMHS eating disorder team which will bring the number to 16, two new mental health with intellectual disability teams for children, five new mental health discovery colleges for young people and funding to open ten new intensive care rehabilitation unit beds at the National Forensic Mental Health Service. I also secured funding for 17 whole-time equivalents to reopen the beds closed in Cherry Orchard and funding for 30 new staff for the new children's hospital that will open next year. Having announced what we intend to do next year, I will take a moment to reflect on progress made in mental health over the past five years.”
“This investment supports the implementation of our national mental health policies across a broad continuum, from mental health promotion and prevention to early intervention. In addition to our major focus on crisis supports and suicide reduction, budget 2026 will also include investment in funding to implement the new digital mental health strategy, a new talking therapies fund for providing community therapy services, additional mental health peer support workers, additional core staffing for adult mental health teams, a new dual diagnosis team, funding to reopen the Keltoi treatment centre, and new consultants for perinatal mental health.”
“There is increased funding for suicide prevention community and voluntary organisations, including Pieta; funding to implement a new suicide reduction strategy; and funding to develop a new crisis response pathway for children and young people, with 19 new CAMHS specialist doctors for emergency liaison and out of hours. Budget 2026 is a continuation of the investment and recruitment which are critical to modern and responsive mental health services. An additional 300 whole-time-equivalent staff will be hired in mental health services in 2026. This represents 9% of the total growth in health service staffing next year. The total allocation for mental health services for 2026 will be almost €1.6 billion.”
“It will be a step change to have dedicated people working in the emergency department and not on call from another part of the hospital. It should make a significant difference. There is over €15 million in new funding for crisis support and suicide reduction measures in budget 2026. As I said, this includes specialist nursing teams. It also includes three new crisis resolution services including drop-in Solace crisis cafes as community alternatives to emergency departments in areas with model 3 hospitals. They will be located in Donegal, Kerry and the midlands. It also includes 12 additional suicide crisis assessment nurses to support people in crisis who present to GPs in their communities. They will be distributed on a geographical basis.”
“There is no greater tragedy than someone deciding life is not worth living. As Minister of State, I never lose sight of this. We must be even more ambitious in our next suicide reduction strategy. In budget 2026, we have made mental health a priority, with a major focus on crisis support and suicide prevention. We are deploying specialist mental health nursing teams into every model 4 emergency department across the country. This will ensure that people in acute distress receive timely and compassionate care. This is an important initiative. Nurses, clinical nurse specialists and advanced nurse practitioners will work out of hours from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. They will support the non-consultant hospital doctor on call.”
“The previous strategy has been formally evaluated. The Department of Health ran a public consultation survey earlier this year which received almost 1,900 submissions, with a further 200 people attending in-person consultation sessions. The significant response by the public to this consultation demonstrates the strength of feeling to reducing lives lost to suicide in our country. The voices of those with lived experience will be central to shaping our next national strategy. We know already that suicide rates in Ireland are reducing, which is encouraging. Recent studies show the suicide rate in Ireland decreased by approximately 25% between 2001 and 2021. However, every death is one too many. Every death is so devastating for that person, their loved ones, friends and communities.”
“That is exactly what we have done in Ireland through our policy implementation structures, which go from the cross-sectoral group of key Departments and agencies, right down to individual resource officers for suicide prevention co-ordinating local plans for their own areas. Permanent improvements to our approach to suicide reduction from Connecting for Life have included development of the model of care to manage self-harm presentations to emergency departments through the national clinical programme for self-harm and suicide-related ideation, enhanced bereavement and crisis support services including culturally appropriate services for Travellers, and media monitoring activities to ensure safer media reporting of suicide. Work to develop a successor suicide reduction strategy to Connecting for Life is well advanced.”
“We will continue to develop and deliver Traveller-led evidence-based policy and service interventions. In addition, I have established a Traveller mental health specialist group under Sharing the Vision structures to take a wider cross-government lens on issues facing the Traveller community that impact their mental health. For a decade now, Connecting for Life has provided us with a comprehensive cross-government plan for how we can reduce suicide in Ireland. Reducing deaths by suicide is a complex task, but evidence and experience internationally show that real reductions in suicide rates can be achieved by involving the whole community, the whole of government and all of society working in unison.”
“Significantly, in June last, I oversaw the establishment of an interdepartmental steering group for mental health, with representation from all Departments and chaired by the Department of Health. This new group will work to ensure that mental health is considered as a priority issue in policy development and delivery across government. Travellers are identified as a priority group within both Sharing the Vision and Connecting for Life and face many challenges in relation to mental health and suicide. I have consistently provided significant funding for Traveller mental health in the annual budgetary process, including almost €1 million across budgets 2025 and 2026 for initiatives codesigned with representative groups of the Traveller community.”
“My Department colleagues also work closely with Department of housing officials to deliver on the commitments as set out in the national housing strategy for people with disabilities and Sharing the Vision. This cross-government co-operation directly improves outcomes for people with disabilities and, since 2017, has resulted in over 3,000 people with a mental health-related disability being assisted to access housing in the local community, which provides an essential foundation to support their recovery. I have also provided the HSE with additional funding to support the recruitment of housing co-ordinators to support people with a mental health difficulty secure and retain independent tenancies. This is what policy should be about: making a real difference.”
“This has involved extensive co-operation between the Departments of justice and Health, with good progress being made on diverting very vulnerable people away from the criminal justice system and towards our healthcare system. I was very pleased to jointly launch the community access support team in Limerick late last year, for example. This key initiative between the HSE and An Garda Síochána will bring more focused interagency care as envisaged under Sharing the Vision. A key priority of the project is to lead with a compassionate mental health response to vulnerable people rather than a policing response, and the emerging results from this pilot are very encouraging.”
“From housing to education, from social protection to climate action, every policy decision has an impact on mental well-being. I was very proud to sign the World Health Organization declaration on mental health in all policies on behalf of Ireland in Paris in June of this year. This is not just a health issue. It is a whole-of-government issue and it demands a co-ordinated and compassionate response. The strength of both our mental health policies, Sharing the Vision and Connecting for Life, is that they have a much wider focus on initiatives that cut across multiple branches of Government. Positive examples of cross-departmental collaboration over the last number of years include the high-level task force, which focuses on the mental health and addiction challenges of those who come into contact with the criminal justice sector.”
“The resolve of the Irish people to raise our voices, whether in solidarity with Gaza or in defence of our planet, is a powerful reminder that even in despair we can choose courage, community and hope. Mental health does not exist in a vacuum. It is shaped by social determinants such as housing, income, education, employment and social connection. Mental health begins with security - a roof over your head, food on the table and safety in your community. If these basic needs are unmet, mental health suffers. We must address the root causes. We must ensure that mental health is not just treated after the fact, but protected through social policy. We must meet every person’s needs, not just for survival but for dignity and mental health. To do this, we must ensure a mental health lens is applied to all Government policies.”
“I am really proud of the work of organisations in Ireland like ALONE and men’s sheds, to name just two. They are doing a lot of work to address these issues. Feeling helpless in the face of immense global crises, like the devastation in Gaza or the accelerating climate emergency, can also weigh heavily on our mental health. A sense of powerlessness can often bring anxiety, grief and emotional exhaustion, especially when the suffering feels distant yet deeply personal. It is very natural to feel overwhelmed when the scale of injustice or environmental collapse seems beyond our control. In Ireland, however, we carry a long tradition of compassion and collective action.”
“Mental health care in these moments is not a luxury; it is lifesaving. It gives people the strength to cope, the space to heal and the support to rebuild. We learned this both during and in the aftermath of the Covid pandemic. Many younger people did not get a chance to develop their social muscles, while many older people did not get a chance to flex them. Afterwards, some in each cohort struggled to adapt to the post-Covid world. Many of them are still struggling. Whether it is a young person avoiding school or social situations, or an older person who has yet to regain the confidence to step outside the door and say, "Hello again, world", we need to acknowledge the impact of crises like these and develop responses to support people in real time and in the aftermath.”
“I really believe that other policies throughout Government would benefit from a similar focus on codesign and inclusion of lived experience and I hope this event will kick-start the spread of the good practice we are seeing in mental health. Today, we mark World Mental Health Day, a day of reflection, solidarity and renewed commitment. This year’s theme, Access to Services - Mental Health in Catastrophes and Emergencies, is both timely and urgent. It reminds us that mental health support must be resilient, equitable and accessible, especially in times of crisis, whether that be a natural disaster, a public health emergency or a personal trauma. This year’s theme is a call to action. Crises fracture communities. They leave emotional scars and they can expose the inequalities embedded in our systems.”
“I have embedded these principles in the governance and implementation structures for Sharing the Vision. This ensures that the voice of lived and living experience is reflected at all levels, including in the national implementation and monitoring committee which oversees the delivery of the policy. I am happy to be supporting the HSE mental health engagement and recovery office with its collaboration with the World Health Organization in the recent launch of a toolkit to support integrating lived and living experience practitioners into wider policy, services and community. I also look forward to launching their inaugural lived experience learning event next Wednesday, 15 October.”
“Your impact is immeasurable. Ireland has made significant advancements in recent years to promote recovery-orientated care by centring input from people who have used services, and their family members. We want to place people at the very centre of mental health services and supports. We want to empower them to take the lead on their own recoveries and journeys through a partnership approach. The HSE’s mental health engagement and recovery office was specifically set up to integrate lived experience expertise into the development, delivery and review of our mental health services. If we want our services to really be recovery focused, they must be built on the twin pillars of clinical expertise and lived experience expertise. I have been a vocal advocate and supporter of this approach since taking up the role.”
“I am delighted to say that since going live in June over 17,500 sessions have taken place, of which nearly 16,000 are new users. It is great to see such take-up and I encourage all young people and people who work with young people to try it out. In an era of misinformation and disinformation, it is so important to have appropriate person-centred care for young people. The green ribbon that I proudly wear and Navigator are just two examples of how much richer our mental health system is in Ireland because of the community and voluntary sector. Organisations like SpunOut, Shine, HUGG, Pieta and Jigsaw are the backbone of mental health supports in Ireland. They offer compassion, expertise and localised care that meets people where they are. I want to thank every volunteer, every staff member and every supporter who makes this work possible.”
“The initiative will provide over 15,000 free counselling sessions to men through accessible supports over the phone and in-person, and I will be receiving regular updates on the uptake of the sessions. I am happy to report that men are already reaching out and some appointments have already taken place. These sessions are a lifeline and I urge anyone who needs support to reach out. For our young people, learning about mental health and navigating services at the same time can be overwhelming. That is why we launched SpunOut's Navigator tool, a digital resource that helps young people aged 14 to 34 find the right support, tailored to their needs. It integrates curated content, guided and self-guided experiences. Whether for counselling, peer support or crisis help, Navigator is a trusted guide in a complex world.”
“Part of the benefit of our collective stigma reduction efforts is that more of our people are coming forward seeking mental health information, help and treatment across our full range of services. I recently announced €2 million in funding for new counselling supports for men. The funding is targeted at assisting with stigma reduction and to actively encourage men who otherwise would not usually avail of counselling to seek help with their mental health, to assist men in accessing mental health services and to provide much-needed support for men experiencing a mental health crisis. The supports went live on 1 September this year. They are available via GPs and are being actively promoted through a national campaign targeting men.”
“Stigma persists, especially when it comes to more enduring mental health difficulties and illnesses. We must continue to challenge it through education, empathy and leadership, and by example. One of the most powerful tools we have is conversation. Talking openly about mental health and suicide can save lives. Silence is dangerous and we must encourage people to ask for help, to check in on one another and to know that it is okay not to be okay. Suicide prevention begins with connection. Every one of us has a role to play as friends, family members, colleagues and neighbours. Initiatives such as Shine's green ribbon campaign encourage a culture where people are not judged or labelled because of their mental health difficulties, but rather we are encouraged to understand, to be inclusive and to better respond to people's diverse needs.”
“These important developments speak to the work of thousands of people across the country to make mental health services in Ireland modern, person-centred, recovery-focused and accessible. It is my hope that we will continue to work together, across all parties in the House, to reduce the stigma associated with mental health difficulties, to promote the message that recovery is possible and to deliver legislative reform so that quality services are accessible in the right place at the right time. Over the past decade, Ireland has made significant strides in mental health literacy. More people understand what mental health means. More are willing to talk about it and more are seeking help. The stigma that once silenced so many is slowly being dismantled. However, we must be honest that there is still more to do.”
“Reflecting its importance to us all, a lot is happening in mental health right now. The second implementation plan for our national mental health policy, Sharing the Vision, was launched in April 2025, providing a policy delivery roadmap for the next three years, including the expansion of crisis supports and community alternatives, the first phase of which I announced yesterday. Work on the successor to our national suicide reduction strategy, Connecting for Life, is continuing at pace following a successful public consultation earlier this year and I hope to launch the new strategy early in the new year. Earlier this week, I secured an unprecedented level of new staffing growth in the budget, of 300 whole-time equivalents. In the coming weeks, the Mental Health Bill will complete its journey through the Houses of the Oireachtas.”
“It was an absolute honour and privilege to be reappointed as Minister of State with responsibility for mental health by the Taoiseach in January of this year and to be the first person to represent the mental health portfolio at the Cabinet table. It is a real milestone for mental health in Ireland to have a seat at Cabinet and we are the envy of many in Europe for having such an influence in government. Mental health is a subject I am very passionate about and not just because I have held the role of Minister of State for the past five years, delivering six budgets in a row. My interest and energy come from lived experience in my own family and community. For everyone in this Chamber, and everyone watching from the Gallery and online, mental health issues touch us all. As I say every day, there is no health without mental health.”
“I welcome our counterparts from the Swedish parliamentary friendship group to the Public Gallery of the Chamber. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Lars Mejern Larsson and the other members of the group during my St. Patrick's Day visit to Denmark and Sweden earlier this year and it is fantastic to have them and the Swedish ambassador to Ireland in the Gallery for this important debate. I also welcome mental health organisations and, in particular, representatives from Shine. I am grateful for this opportunity to discuss the important topic of mental health today on the eve of World Mental Health Day.”
“There will be two new liaison teams for mental health services for older people, a new adult eating disorder team, a new CAMHS early intervention disorder team and a new early intervention and psychosis team. This funding of these 300 staff is vital. My main focus over the next 12 months will be to make sure that these staff are hired as quickly as possible. There is a geographical element to my budget, which is important. For the first time ever, having clinical nurse specialists and advanced nurse practitioners in the level 4 emergency department out of hours will make a significant difference to people who present in crisis.”
“I secured funding for 77 whole-time equivalent staff to open ten dedicated CAMHS beds in the new national children's hospital, funding to reopen 11 CAMHS beds at Linn Dara, and funding to open ten new intensive care rehabilitation beds at the national forensic mental health service, which is really important to prevent overcrowding in our prisons. To touch on some more supports that will be put in place, there will be a new dual-diagnosis team for the national clinical programmes. There will be funding to reopen the Keltoi treatment centre in Dublin for dual diagnosis. There will be new consultants for perinatal mental health supports.”
“Building on the progress of other budgets, we are again allocating targeted funding for Traveller-specific suicide prevention initiatives, co-designed with the Traveller community to ensure cultural relevance and effectiveness. Our community and voluntary partners are the backbone of suicide prevention efforts. Organisations like Pieta provide essential counselling, bereavement support, training and peer-led services. I am proud to confirm continued and expanded funding for these HSE-funded partners. Turning to youth mental health, we are enhancing crisis supports and expanding early intervention services. Next year, we will invest in Jigsaw youth mental services for two new areas of the country, Waterford and the south east, and County Clare. There will be additional mental health beds.”
“In the community, we will establish three new crisis resolution services, including drop-in Solas crisis cafés, offering safe, welcoming spaces for people in distress. These will be located in Donegal, Kerry and the midlands. We will also expand the suicide crisis assessment nurse, SCAN, programme. There will be 12 posts, which will be geographically located. A new crisis response pathway for children and young people will be developed, including 19 new CAMHS specialist doctors dedicated to emergency liaison and out-of-hours care. This investment will ensure that young people in crisis receive timely, expert support where they need it most.”
“This year, working with the Minister, I have secured funding that brings our annual investment in mental health services to almost €1.6 billion. This is my sixth budget in a row as Minister of State with responsibility for mental health. It is also the sixth year increased funding for mental health. In 2026, we will add 300 whole-time equivalent staff to our mental health services. That accounts for 9% of total health service staffing growth next year. This year, my focus is clear. It will be on crisis support and suicide reduction. We know that timely intervention can save lives. That is why the cornerstone of this year's budget is a robust investment in crisis services. We will fund specialist nursing teams in all model 4 hospital emergency departments to provide out-of-hours support for those in crisis.”
“I move: It is proposed that the following arrangements shall apply on the motions for the Financial Resolutions by the Minister for Finance: - Resolution Nos. 1 and 2 shall be grouped together for the purposes of debate, and shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 30 minutes; - Resolution Nos. 3 and 4 shall be grouped together for the purposes of debate, and shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 45 minutes; and - each motion for a Financial Resolution shall be brought to a conclusion by one question which shall dispose of any amendments to that motion not yet disposed of, and which shall be put from the Chair.”
“I propose: Notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders or in Tuesday’s Order of Business, the following is proposed in relation to today’s business: - on Leaders’ Questions, two members of each party or technical group in Opposition may use their time for Q&A, and the order of speaking and allocation of time shall be as follows:- - Tánaiste - 10 minutes; - Sinn Féin - 15 minutes; and - Social Democrats, Independent and Parties Technical Group, Independent Technical Group and the Labour Party – 12 minutes per party or group; and - Questions on Policy or Legislation shall not be taken today, and the lunchtime SOS shall take place on the conclusion of Other Members’ Questions. This is in order to discuss the situation in relation to the flotilla and the fact that nine Irish people are currently detained involuntarily.”
“and shall adjourn on the conclusion of the weekly division time, or, where there are no deferred divisions, on the adjournment of the General Financial Resolution, (II) on Wednesday, the Dáil shall adjourn either at 9.17 p.m., or 4 hours and 30 minutes after the conclusion of the SOS, whichever is the later, and (III) on Thursday, the Dáil shall adjourn on the conclusion of topical issues; ( b ) in relation to the ordinary routine of business— (i) Leaders' Questions pursuant to Standing Order 38 shall not be taken on Tuesday, and shall be taken as the second item of business on Wednesday and Thursday after Oral Questions to a member of the Government other than the Taoiseach pursuant to Standing Order 47, (ii) Other Members' Questions pursuant to Standing Order 38A shall be taken immediately following Leaders' Questions on Wednesday and Thursday, (iii) there shall be no Order of Business pursuant to Standing Order 35 on Tuesday, (iv) there shall be no Questions on Policy or Legislation pursuant to Standing Order 36 on Tuesday or Wednesday, and on Thursday, Questions on Policy or Legislation shall be taken immediately following Other Members' Questions, (v) a member may move for leave to introduce a Bill in accordance with Standing Order 180(2) on Thursday only, (vi) Oral Questions to the Taoiseach pursuant to Standing Order 47(1) shall not be taken, and on Wednesday and Thursday, a single session of Oral Questions pursuant to Standing Order 47 to another member of the Government shall be taken at 10.23 a.m., (vii) private members' business normally taken on Tuesday and Wednesday pursuant to Standing Orders 168(1) and 176 shall not be taken, (viii) topical issues pursuant to Standing Order 39 shall not be taken on Tuesday or Wednesday and shall be taken on Thursday as the last item of business, (ix) the weekly division time pursuant to Standing Order 85(2) shall be taken on Tuesday night upon the adjournment of the General Financial Resolution, and (x) no Thursday evening business pursuant to Standing Order 168(2) shall be taken; ( c ) any divisions claimed on Tuesday shall be taken immediately; ( d ) Questions for written answer pursuant to Standing Order 51(2) shall appear on the Questions Paper pursuant to Standing Order 43 for all three days; ( e ) no questions on private notice pursuant to Standing Order 44 may be asked; and ( f ) leave may not be sought under Standing Order 42 to adjourn the Dáil on a specific and important matter of public interest; (2) in relation to the sitting of the Dáil on Tuesday, the following arrangements shall apply: ( a ) aside from the weekly division time, and subject to subparagraph (c), the business to be transacted shall be Budget Statements and Financial Motions; ( b ) in relation to the Budget statements, the order of speaking and allocation of time shall be as follows: — Minister for Finance – 45 minutes; — Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation – 45 minutes; — Sinn Féin – 60 minutes; — the Labour Party, Social Democrats, the Independent and Parties Technical Group, and the Independent Technical Group – 45 minutes for each party or group; and — the Regional Group – 45 minutes; and all members may share their time; ( c ) on the resumption of the sitting after the SOS pursuant to subparagraph (1)(a)(ii)(I), a Minister or Minister of State shall move an allocation of time motion for the Financial Motions; and ( d ) the motion for the General Financial Resolution shall be moved not later than 12 midnight and the debate thereon shall stand adjourned forthwith; and (3) in relation to the sittings of the Dáil on Wednesday and Thursday, the business to be transacted shall be the business outlined in this Resolution along with the resumed debate on the General Financial Resolution, to which the following arrangements shall apply: ( a ) on Wednesday, after Other Members' Questions, Leaders' speeches shall be taken, to which the following order of speaking and allocation of time shall apply: — Taoiseach and Tánaiste – 30 minutes each; — Leader of the Independent Ministers – 20 minutes; — Sinn Féin – 30 minutes; — the Labour Party, Social Democrats, the Independent and Parties Technical Group, and the Independent Technical Group – 15 minutes for each party or group; and — the Regional Group – 15 minutes; and all members may share time; ( b ) on Wednesday and Thursday, in relation to the resumed debate on the General Financial Resolution— (i) apart from the Leaders' speeches, the debate shall be conducted in 135-minute speaking rounds, in accordance with the table (to be read across, not down) at the end of this Resolution, and (ii) when there are no further members offering, the debate shall be adjourned, and in any event (I) on Wednesday, the debate shall be adjourned either at 9.17 p.m., or four hours and 30 minutes after the conclusion of the SOS, whichever is the later, and (II) on Thursday, the debate shall be adjourned either at 6.42 p.m., or two hours and 25 minutes after it commences, whichever is the later; and ( c ) on Thursday, Statements on World Mental Health Day shall be taken on the resumption of business following the SOS and shall not exceed 2 hours and 25 minutes, and the order of speaking and allocation of time shall be as follows: (i) the arrangements for the statements, not including the Ministerial response, shall be in accordance with the arrangements contained in the table immediately below (to be read across, not down); (ii) following the statements, a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a statement in reply which shall not exceed 10 minutes; and (iii) members may share time.”