Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions
Dail Éireann — 2026-02-26
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Marie Sherlock (LAB), Dublin Central

Everything the Tánaiste has said is nothing new in that it is already contained within the service plan for the HSE for this year or last year. The reality is that there has been no response to the appalling revelations. I am shocked, as I hope other people are as well, but we are not hearing that urgency from Government. The reality is that not every bed within the Central Mental Hospital will be open by the end of this year and there is no plan to open every single bed. That is absolutely wrong. The reality is that the State has failed to invest over many years. Last year, €95 million was spent on exporting some of our most seriously ill patients to the UK - a 20% increase last year - all because of the failure to build here. This is the week in which we see an actual cut in the HSE capital plan this year compared to last year. There is a lack of a plan and a lack of action on the part of this Government with regard to mental health services. For years, we have had soothing words that there was going to be an increase in support. The reality is that mental health is the poor relation of the health service, and that needs to change.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-26/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:42+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-26