Sinn Féin spokesperson on Mental Health, Mark Ward TD, has accused the government of a lack of urgency in providing mental health supports.

This comes after a meeting of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health when it was announced that the additional €10 million announced for mental health provision in February 2021 has still not been spent.

Teachta Ward said:

“Last year I accused the government of making announcements on additional funding for mental health supports as window dressing to generate cheap headlines.

“It gives me no pleasure to hear that I was right. In fact, they were not cheap headlines; they were free headlines as the €10 million announced in additional spending for mental health in February 2021 remains unspent.

“The latest news we have is that there may be a plan in quarter four of this year for this funding.

“This is not good enough. There is a complete lack of urgency by this government to provide mental health services people need right now.

“People who need mental health supports have a simple ask;  that they can access the care they need, when they need it and where they need it.

“Our frontline services have a simple ask and that is that they are resourced to provide the supports that people need.

“Covid-19 has put added pressure on our mental health services, so any delay in providing additional funding is unacceptable.

“The Minister also needs to guarantee that this money is ring-fenced and does not get lost in the upcoming budget and presented as additional spending when it is clearly not.”