Speaking in Leinster House this week, Sinn Féin TD for Kerry, Martin Ferris said he was glad to see such a demonstration by the Mental Health Reform group and the Union of Students in Ireland demanding that the mental health budget not be raided by government again.
A Good Turnout
“I am delighted with such a good turnout here today and to be here with my newly elected colleagues in the Dáil and Seanad,” said Deputy Ferris.
“The job of the minister for health and the new government is to defend people who face the challenge of mental illness, including depression and suicidal ideation.
“I am calling on the new minister to maintain all the money allocated to mental health for mental health spending in 2016 and to fight any attempt to raid the mental health budget to deal with other areas of the HSE.
Annual Occurrence
It has become an annual occurrence that mental health is made to take a back seat to other services and it is not good enough at a time when suicide is increasing.
“Enough is enough. There can be no toleration of this crude budget cut now or in the future. Leave the mental health budget alone,” he urged.
