To ask the Minister of Health what work he is doing with organisations supporting people in financial difficulties in order to assess, intervene and treat those people who are suffering from mental ill-health as a result.

People who have mental health needs as a result of financial difficulties have access to the full range of Mental Health services within the Health and Social Care system.

I published a new Mental Health Strategy 2021–31 in June 2021, which introduces 35 actions to reform our mental health services to ensure that our population has access to the care and treatment they need when they need it,

The Strategy promotes mental wellbeing, resilience and good mental health across society. In particular, Action 3 aims to increase the support available to individuals, families and communities to address the social factors that impact on their mental health, while Action 4 seeks to work with delivery partners across Government and the health and social care system, to maximise the availability and use of a range of social wellbeing supports, including social prescribing, to encourage and support mental wellbeing and positive mental health.

Delivery of these actions and the wider Mental Health Strategy is dependent on securing additional funding from outside the Department of Health. I was pleased to see prioritisation of mental health funding in the Executive’s Draft Budget 2022-25 when it was launched for public consultation. It is important that budgets are confirmed as soon as possible to allow full implementation of the Strategy to be progressed.