To ask the Minister of Health to detail his plans to increase the amount spent per-capita on mental health in Northern Ireland in order to bring it closer in line to that spent in other parts of the UK.

Given the budget that my department has been allocated this year it is not possible to make firm plans to increase overall spending on HSC services. However, it is my intention to look at longer term planning for the HSC as a whole to consider how best services can be delivered to bring them onto a sustainable footing and enable unmet need to be addressed. Planning for mental health spending will be an integral part of this process.