355. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the level of funding allocated in Budget 2026 for perinatal mental health services; if new perinatal or mother-and-baby units are planned for development in 2026; if so, to list their locations and expected completion dates. [56259/25]
Topics / Mental Health Services
A subject heading for parliamentary questionsMental Health Services
1,556 questions from 122 TDs, between 22 January 2025 and 22 October 2026.
1,556
questions
1,548 written, 8 oral
122
TDs have asked
11
parties and groups
Independents counted together
9
departments asked
Questions per month
The record holds no questions for August, when the Dáil does not sit.
Jan 2025Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions |
|---|---|
| January 2025 | 21 |
| February 2025 | 72 |
| March 2025 | 106 |
| April 2025 | 64 |
| May 2025 | 106 |
| June 2025 | 80 |
| July 2025 | 140 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 51 |
| October 2025 | 99 |
| November 2025 | 55 |
| December 2025 | 48 |
| January 2026 | 104 |
| February 2026 | 87 |
| March 2026 | 90 |
| April 2026 | 121 |
| May 2026 | 89 |
| June 2026 | 84 |
| July 2026 | 66 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 27 |
| October 2026 | 46 |
Who asks, by party
The party each TD belonged to on the day, in alphabetical order. Parties differ a lot in size, and members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them, so this shows who raised it, not how much a party cares about it.
The TDs who asked most
Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them. Each question counts once.
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298
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113
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98
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55
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44
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37
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33
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27
Asked of
Debated under the same heading
Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.
The questions
356. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the funding which has been committed in Budget 2026 for integrating perinatal mental health supports within maternity hospitals, including staff training, screening, and referral pathways. [56260/25]
357. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the amount of funding which has been allocated in Budget 2026 to develop or expand ADHD assessment and treatment services for children, adolescents, and adults; and if this includes the creation of dedicated ADHD clinics or care pathways. [56261/25]
359. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the current vacancy rates across mental health services, including CAMHS and perinatal teams; and the portion of the 2026 Budget which is directed toward recruitment and retention initiatives. [56263/25]
360. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the provision in Budget 2026 for training and professional development of mental health staff, including postgraduate placements, specialist training (e.g. perinatal, ADHD, dual diagnosis), and continuous professional development supports. [56264/25]
361. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the specific measures being implemented to retain staff in mental health services under Budget 2026, including financial incentives, flexible working arrangements, or wellbeing supports; and if her Department has a target for reducing turnover in 2026. [56265/25]
365. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health to outline the level of funding allocated in Budget 2026 to counselling and talking therapies within public mental health services; and to specify the breakdown between HSE-delivered, community-based and NGO-contracted counselling supports. [56271/25]
366. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health to provide current waiting times for counselling services under the HSE and its funded partners, by RHA area, and to indicate the reduction in targets being set for 2026. [56272/25]
367. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health whether Budget 2026 includes increased funding for the HSE’s counselling in primary care service; and if so, to state the expected number of additional service users that will be supported in 2026. [56273/25]
368. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the amount of the 2026 mental health allocation that is set aside for youth and school-based counselling initiatives; and whether additional funding will be provided to agencies such as Jigsaw or the National Educational Psychological Service. [56274/25]
369. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health to provide current vacancy rates for psychologists in public mental health services, broken down by RHA; and the measures being taken under Budget 2026 to fill these posts. [56275/25]
370. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the provision that has been made in Budget 2026 for expanding postgraduate training places for clinical and counselling psychologists; and whether financial supports or bursaries are being introduced to address recruitment and retention challenges in the sector. [56276/25]
371. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health to set out the average waiting time for a first appointment with a psychologist under HSE mental health services; and to detail how the 2026 funding aims to improve access. [56277/25]
372. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the number of consultant psychiatrist posts that are currently filled, vacant, and approved across the HSE; and to provide the number of new or replacement posts funded in Budget 2026. [56278/25]
373. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the number of psychiatry training places available under the HSE’s postgraduate schemes; and whether Budget 2026 provides for an expansion of these to meet projected service demand. [56279/25]
374. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Health for a list of all consultants that have been engaged as part of the North Kerry CAMHS lookback review; the dates of their engagement; the nature of their work; any reports produced; and the cost associated with their services. [56286/25]
375. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Health for a list of all consultant reports commissioned as part of the North Kerry CAMHS lookback review; the objective of each report, and any actions that arose from each report; and the progress to date on said actions and the costs associated with each report. [56287/25]
376. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Health for a list of all consultant reports commissioned as part of the south Kerry CAMHS lookback review; the objective of each report, and any actions that arose from each report; and the progress to date on said actions and the costs associated with each report. [56288/25]
377. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Health for a list of all consultants that have been engaged as part of the South Kerry CAMHS lookback review; the dates of their engagement; the nature of their work and any reports produced and the cost associated with their services. [56289/25]
416. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the reason a national loneliness strategy was not considered in Budget 2026; if he is aware that rural isolation is a public health issue; the current allocations for the provision of mental health services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56128/25]
310. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Health the reason the HSE applies such short timeframes for parents or guardians to return additional information forms requested after a referral has been made for a child to child mental health services; if she accepts this practice can cause distress to families; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55782/25]
311. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Health when the HSE primary care child psychology service in Dublin west was paused; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55783/25]
312. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Health the recruitment efforts being undertaken to ensure the primary care child psychology service in Dublin west can be reopened; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55784/25]
313. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Health the number of child psychologist vacancies which exist in the primary care child psychology service in Dublin west; if these are currently being recruited for; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55785/25]
314. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Health the number of children which have been referred to the primary care child psychology service in Dublin west in the past year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55786/25]