Minister for Mental Health addresses increase in funding
Minister for Mental Health and Older People Mary Butler has spoken out following an increase in funding for mental health and older peoples’ services after Budget 2025.
The investment in the department marks a record number for funding for a fifth year. With €143.5M being invested, the whole budget is now up to almost €1.5 billion in total.
Minister Butler revealed, “Budget 2025 sees an increase in funding for mental health services of €143.5 million bringing the budget to almost €1.5 billion. Funding for mental health has increased by 43.7% over the lifetime of this Government”.
“This investment will allow us to focus on child and youth mental health, delivering targeted initiatives that support children and young people as they transition from child to adult mental health services”.
A €2.9M investment in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) initiatives will be delivered. These include additional staffing for CAMHS teams, expansion of CAMHS Hubs Teams, expansion of the Single Point of Access for services for children, and the development of a CAMHS Emergency Department Liaison Service.
After Budget 2025, Minister Butler also announced that the most significant programme of investment to-date will be for specialist mental health teams as €5.7M has been allocated to the service.
Four new adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) teams will also be developed, along with two new teams for Eating Disorders, Early Intervention in Psychosis, and Dual Diagnosis.
Counselling in Primary Care service will also be expanded, with Minister Butler explaining, “It is a priority of mine to make counselling supports accessible to more people and I am pleased with the allocation of €2 million to expand access to Counselling in Primary Care (CiPC)”.
“This will allow a particular focus on engaging with men, who as a group have been less likely to avail of counselling supports. We need men to reach out, and expanding access to this service means that appropriate supports will be there when they do”.
The remaining beds in Central Mental Hospital (CMH) at Portrane will also be opened due to this new funding.
Other initiatives include the expansion of the Suicide Bereavement Liaison Service and funding for counselling for those affected by suicide and self-harm. Funding is also being provided to expand appropriate counselling supports for the Traveller Community.
