I wish to talk about the CAST pilot project in Limerick, which is ten months operational. Much credit goes to the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, for this. To date, this project has recorded 80 diversions from Mental Health Act detentions as well as incidents of criminal diversion for minor offences. It ensures that people get the right care at the right time in the community. The CAST support forum has 14 partner agencies working together on a periodic basis to help frequent users of unscheduled emergency services. When will the internal and external evaluation of this project be conducted? Will the Minister of State confirm, subject to the evaluation confirming what we have been told on the ground by An Garda Síochána and the HSE, that this pilot will be continued and mainstreamed in Limerick and, hopefully, rolled out nationwide? It is a very good initiative but it needs additional resources and its own ring-fenced budget.

I thank the Deputy for speaking about the CAST project. We often hear about game-changers on the floor of this Dáil but this project is a game-changer. For the many who do not know about it, it involves incidents to which the Garda is alerted and the persons involved might have enduring mental health conditions, for example, they might be psychotic. What it means is that the consultant psychiatrist or the advanced nurse practitioner with mental health training travels in the vehicle with the gardaí, and when it is safe to do so, the mental health intervention is made. We have every intention of continuing this pilot. I saw a preliminary report earlier this year. The results were outstanding. The Garda and the Ministers for Health and justice are very supportive of it. The regional executive officer, REO, in the Limerick area is fully supportive of it as well. I visited it recently and spoke to the superintendent as well. We will be rolling it out. The Minister for justice has said that he wants to see it being mainstreamed across the country.