I have raised the issue of resources for mental health clinics in north Tipperary a number of times. We have three mental health clinics in north Tipperary, including Thurles, Nenagh and Roscrea. General practitioners have contacted me this week who are extremely frustrated about the lack of resources there. Two consultants are assigned to them but retaining those consultants is virtually impossible because of the lack of teams behind them. We need psychiatric nurses, counsellors and psychologists. Without this back-up team for consultants, these mental health clinics will not work efficiently. I ask the Tánaiste to ensure that the HSE provides enough resources for those mental health clinics in north Tipperary to work efficiently.

The mental health budget in Ireland is at the highest level ever at well over €1 billion. The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, is making great changes and great progress in the area. I acknowledge that the need is greater than it ever was before. I would be doing the Deputy a disservice if I gave him an answer now about north Tipperary specifically, but I know how important it is to him and he has taken his time in the Dáil to prioritise it, so I will certainly ask the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, to contact him directly with a detailed reply specifically on north Tipperary.