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	Mental Health Minister Helen McEntee insists the Government is &ldquo;100% committed&rdquo; to fully resourcing the sector after concerns were raised over decade-old plans not being implemented.</p>
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	The Fine Gael TD made the comment as the party said it would support opposition calls for increased resources, staff, and the creation of a multi-year budget to properly ringfence available funds.</p>
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	For the third time since the election, the D&aacute;il sat last night to debate a Fianna F&aacute;il motion on the need to address chronic service gaps nationwide.</p>
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	Fianna F&aacute;il mental health spokesman James Browne said there is an &ldquo;urgent&rdquo; need to review funding as both staff and patients in the sector &ldquo;feel ignored and abandoned&rdquo;.</p>
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	The position was backed by party health spokesman Billy Kelleher, who said &euro;35m budgets &ldquo;have been consistently pilfered&rdquo; for other areas on an annual basis.</p>
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	Confirming that the Government would be supporting the motion, Ms McEntee stressed that Fine Gael is already &ldquo;100% committed&rdquo; to fully reforming the sector.</p>
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	Citing the fact &euro;35m is due to be &ldquo;invested&rdquo; in the system next year, Ms McEntee said the issue remains a priority.</p>
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	&ldquo;There is a momentum behind this, people are 100% committed to implementing Vision for Change. Other lives will be lost; lives have already been lost,&rdquo; said Ms McEntee, whose father Shane died by suicide in December 2012.</p>
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	During the course of the debate, TDs across the political divide &mdash; including Sinn F&eacute;in TD and suicide prevention campaigner Pat Buckley, who has lost relatives to suicide; and Fianna F&aacute;il&rsquo;s Margaret Murphy O&rsquo;Mahony &mdash; highlighted their own experiences of suicide in Ireland.</p>
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	Urging people not to &ldquo;play the blame game&rdquo;, Fianna F&aacute;il&rsquo;s Eugene Murphy told colleagues he binned his planned speech after hearing their views.</p>
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	&ldquo;When I talk about this debate, I think of Deputy McEntee, I think of Deputy Buckley. I know you&rsquo;re sincere, I know your heart&rsquo;s in the right place,&rdquo; he told the D&aacute;il.</p>
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	(Published by the Irish Independent on the 16th November 2016)</p>
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	<a href="http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/coalition-100-committed-to-resourcing-mental-health-430765.html">http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/coalition-100-committed-to-resourcing-mental-health-430765.html</a></p>
