Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
SINN FÉIN has criticised the government’s commitment to safeguarding mental health after it emerged that most of the funding specifically allocated to hire new mental health workers in 2012 was spent elsewhere.
The Irish Times this morning reported that only 17 mental health staff were hired in 2012, even though €35 million was allocated in December of last year for the recruitment of 414 new mental health staff, which was supposed to include dozens of staff specialising in suicide prevention.
Concerns had been raised throughout the year that the positions would not be delivered, with the possible shortcomings raised in the Dail two months ago.
The junior minister responsible for mental health, Kathleen Lynch, told the Irish Times that she would try to have the money which was instead used to address the HSE’s overspend for 2012 – of some €365 million – returned for next year.
Her assurances were not enough for Sinn Féin’s health spokesman Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, however, who said Lynch had previously told him the €35 million was “in her back pocket” and would not be re-appropriated for use elsewhere.
“The Minister of State’s belated admission that most of the €35 million was diverted and most of the promised new posts were never filled shows that the government’s words on the importance of addressing mental health and suicide ring hollow,” he said.
“They have repeatedly pointed to the importance of primary care and early intervention in mental health, yet their promised initiatives have not materialised in 2012. The same promise and the same allocation – €35 million – has been made for 2013.”
Ó Caoláin said he would be urging the all-party Oireachtas group on mental health to maintain its pressure on the government to deliver on its promises regarding mental health.
Lynch said recruitment was continuing for about 270 of the posts, with some of those staff due to begin work in late December.
In October, Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore said he would ask Lynch to brief independent Deputy Thomas Pringle on how the ring-fenced €35 million was being used.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Dear Kettle,
You are black.
Regards, Pot.
America has never stuck to an armed treaty. I love to know what the US is playing at they seemed bent in trying to start a fight with Russia.
Yes they certainly are trying to start a war with Russia …like accusing them of downing an aircraft based on social media evidence and UTube videos.
You guys crack me up. The terms of a very serious bilateral “Nuclear Weapons” treaty were violated. What do you expect the Americzns to do? Nothing?
Stephen they violated a similar treaty under Bush, its the hypocrisy.
Every year they used to lambaste China for big brother stuff then the Snowden information came out showing they were doing far worse..its the hypocrisy.
Not sure what nuclear weapons treaty violations you are referring to, but why wouldn’t anyone protest if the terms of an important bilateral treaty are contravened.
If a war kicks off, it’s us the people that will suffer not the elected officials that are pushing the buttons and issuing orders. Them and their family’s will be out of harms way.
True – not only that but they feed bullshit ideologies to people they govern, pretending to be their friend – “American dream”/”Equal society” etc.
It’s all about control !
The majority buy into the BS but the few that see it for what it is are ridiculed.
It happens here as well ;”Burn the bonholders”, not a red cent more and they hanging out with the bondholders fulltime …do ye think that the bondholders said to bertie , “oh great Taoiseach you cannot have any of our action for you are a leader not a bondholder”.
If you study the two world wars side by side then the causes are almost identical
Arms Race,
Lunatics in Government
Tensions in small states that are aligned to two different superpowers – Ukraine ?
Putin and Obama are the best of friends I’d say !
The most important phrase to come out of the Anglo Tapes ; was when the bankers were laughing about a politiician who was looking for “TWO YEAR MONEY”..
Glen
Them and their family’s……!
Richard ..
They and their families …
as you were Glen we know what you meant ….haven’t a clue what Richard is on about though !
The US are full of shit.
SF will never slag off it’s commie chums, they take the American dollar but behind it all they are anti-USA!
Their big chum is a U.S. closet Marxist – Feeney. He has funded a lot of the “diversity” stuff in Ireland. I like the idea of people starting a new life in Ireland if they come to contribute but handouts shouldn’t be given to skillless people who just drift in illegally. This small state can do without that, but it is to the fore of the SF/Left agenda.
I would 100% agree with you..
Silly really.
Land based launches are outlawed but sea/air launches are fine?
And how do you test a missile system without firing it?
You give it a copy of Seamus Heaney’s poems and you make it sit the Leaving Cert
And Israel is breaking every international law they can yet Obama is quiet on the matter. His Nobel prize should be taken from him.
There was even talk of giving the Nobel prize to the IDF …. If Satan got it in 2009 I am sure anyone is eligible for it.
I love the fact the day after he got it he sent 30,000 troops to Afghanistan. He might as well wiped with arse with it!
Yeah and since when has the US respected any treaty. The US has always said it will do anything to protect its national interests, which in the grand scheme of things is petty. Russia will likewise do whatever it needs to do to protect itself from an invasion by Western countries, namely the US.
The placement of missile batteries all around Russia to ‘protect’ other countries by the US is a lie. They are offensive weapons aimed at boxing Russia in. The US is too greedy. Not content with half the world, it wants the whole world.
Patriot batteries & Aegis equipped ships can only be used defensively.
They have no practical offensive capabilities.
But that us contrary to your agenda…. so I’m obviously wrong!
Re Business Cat
You appear to be well informed.
I, however, would not trust the US for one second. I would not believe the Aegis cruisers are defensive only.
Horgay; you may not believe it but that’s what they are, the fact that the Japanese Navy deploys them should put you at ease as they are not allowed offensive weapons
Horgay is right to a point, cruisers in the US Navy equipped with the Aegis system are also equipped with offensive weaponry. However, the Aegis system and the offensive weapons onboard have absolutely no connection to one-another.
I am sure the V1 and V2 flying bombs used by the NAZIS were originally built for “defensive purposes”… The US warmongering US Administration can no longer be trusted.
You realise that weapons system is used by several states. It’s sole purpose is defence nothing else it is designed to intercept airborne threats and can not be used to target anything else
Re Wayne
I wouldn’t be too sure about Japan.
They have and are changing their constitution to allow it’s army to conduct offensive operations.
Japan is gearing up for war:
-introduced legislation to jail anyone who exposes secrets/stories of national interests
-currently buying huge amounts of sophisticated offensive drones and building them
-re booting up a nuclear facility that will provide Japan with enough nuclear material for several hundred nuclear weapons a year
Actually Horgay 3 different attempts have been made to change their military status to allow for more offensive capacity all have failed. As it stands now Japan’s military serves solely an defensive role
Good morning frank.
The US has been upgraded the tomahawk cruise missile over the last 3 years. Dubbed the super tomahawk its range, payload and power has been increased. I think this is a response to that especially if these will be posted in NATO countries in Europe real soon.
Even doubling the now old tomahawk missiles capabilities, still lags behind what Russia has.
Missiles are the only area Russia still leads the way.
I agree but its their main deterrent, always has been.
Business Cat …..not to mention intelligence.
Its apples n oranges.
During the cold war the US tried to goad the Russians into spending more on nuclear defense, for a type of war its hard to defend against.
The US spent the big bucks on nuclear missile sub’s instead of defense, the Russian sub force is small and backward so land missiles are their big detterant.
Like Mideast..neither side are angels both are cynical political actors
Ryan ; did you see the documentary ; the silent Cold War …the Russian sub fleet is far from small and backward , It was sitting on the bottom of the Bermuda Sea with the capability of launching over 200 warheads at America for 4 days before they rang the Americans and let them know…
I don’t know it’s modern capability is now but it frightened Reagan into the Star Wars programme !
The USA whinging about someone testing a rocket, great sense of humour from the yanks
The correct word is irony.
Anyone else tired of the west’s hypocracy….and the associated foreign press for reporting their propaganda?
Western Corporate media is 90% owned by Z***nist interests..
Ya, i dont know the exact percentage but i would imagine it isn’t far off 90% ha…and why is the word “zi**ist”, not allowed on the site? This isnt some kind of racial slur, the zi**ists use this word to themselves. Is the author for AFP a zi**ist. Haha
More US propaganda wetting the appetite of the irish neo con sheeple
Didn’t the USA test a whole load of cruise missiles on Bagdad a while back.
Perhaps they were just looking for weapons of mass destruction. In a purely defensive way of course.
So what America ; you violated conditions for landing at Shannon …we Irish find that much less impressive than anything the Russians do because you keep telling us how bad Russia is , so we expect it from Russia , but not from the “Land of the brave and the home of the free “.
Why do you insult Ireland America ?
Dermot “We Irish” who is this “We” you speak for? Do you now speak for every Irish person? Since when and by who’s authority?
You see Mick you not being Irish means that you will never understand ….now don’t go upsetting me or you’ll have a leperacain for yourself ….Did that C.I.A.. cell clear out of my county – I’m checking later on !
Tell it to the American Ambassador Mick ; he’s your representative in my country …oh hang you don’t have one !
Dermot. I was born in Ireland, raised in Ireland, live and work in Ireland, have an Irish Birth Cert and an Irish passport both my parents were Irish as were by Great Grand Parents and so on back to the Normans. So if that doesn’t make me Irish none of us are not even you. So as I said who gave you the authority to speak for every Irish person?
Norman’s can’t give out leperacains ; they may have brought the pox that created them but they cannot give them out …when you understand that you will be Irish …… not saying your not but listen to your Irish blood ..
Quick question Mick ; how many priests attended Biddy Earley’s funeral ; every Irish person knows this !
As I said to you before Mick we will have a pint and laugh about this ,but for now America is not Ireland’s friend because it disrespects our laws !
Let’s leave it at this Mick , but if you want to go deeper then by all means ask me anything you wish ….
Dermot you can’t even spell Leprechauns and you say I am not Irish. LOL.
It just shows how little you know mick ; how many priests at Biddy Earley’s funeral ?
An “Irishman” using an American spelling ……pfffffh!
Mick – you said it yourself;- you are Norman !
“Just because we are meant to forgive our enemies doesn’t mean we have to forget their names ” …John F. Kennedy said that !
Bombing Nagasaki and Hiroshima was a-okay though
The usual pro-Russian anti-US comments from the resident Shinner type clowns.
Says the anti shinner knuckle dragger
@Banga, pointing out that the US are being hypocritical doesn’t make us pro-Russian
Jokers. US bans weapons only after they’ve stocked enough for themselves. Nuclear weapons, used once by the US, now banned. Chemical weapons, poor Vietnamese still suffering, now banned. I bet when Russia or whomever has a decent drone program, the US will try and ban them.
They have some neck talking about cruise missiles after what they did to that market in Yemen.
Yes they are the big bully in the playground of the world, how many countries have they terrorised since the second world war, 50 maybe 60
They’ve been involved directly or indirectly in the regime change of over 80 countries since 1945. I read that in a John Pilger book.
Wouldn’t the USbe better occupied putting manners on it rabid mongerl israel who are committing crimes against humanity in Gaza using American sponsored weapons ?
Shame on America for letting the slaughter in Gaza happen and allowing the land robbing israeli slaughtering terrorists to continue their rampage.
Shame Shame Shame !
have your say