Spending on mental health services

Sir, – In “The Irish Times view on mental health services: young people deserve better” (November 10th), the commonly presented line from the Government of “record investment” in mental health is presented. Some context is helpful.

In 2023, we hit a historic low in the proportion of the health budget spent on mental health – 5.1 per cent – rising to 5.7 per cent in 2024, compared with the international 15 per cent standard. Not since the 1980s have we been on a par with the UK’s 13 per cent to 15 per cent health budget spend on mental health. Successive governments over four decades have drastically underinvested in mental health.

There isn’t, however, a recognition of this fact or an expressed ambition to address it. Slaintecare commits to a minimum spend of 10 per cent of the health budget on mental health, still below the international recommendation to maintain a mental health service, and ignores the deficit in our infrastructure, systems and personnel caused by four decades of underinvestment.

It is true that there has been a record spend on mental health in recent years, and a substantial increase in proportionate spending. It is also true that it is easy to reach a record funding level when previous funding has for so long been pitiable: 5.7 per cent of an unambitious 10 per cent target is not commendable. It is barely a pass.