Order Paper
Reference: OP 52-2227
Date: 30 September 2024
The Assembly to sit at noon.
1. Prayers
2. Members’ Statements
3. Question Time
4. Opposition Business
Motion: Mental Health Provision in Northern Ireland
Proposed:
That this Assembly regrets the state of mental health service provision in Northern Ireland; laments that the number of people who have passed away as a result of suicide is higher than those who lost their lives in the Troubles; and calls on the Minister of Health to work with his Executive colleagues to commit in the draft Programme for Government to make the prevention of suicide a priority across all departments and to utilize every resource to support those struggling with suicidal thoughts, to introduce targets to address the prevalence of mental health disorders across all age groups, and to introduce targets to tackle the rate of anxiety and depression in children and young adults.
Leader of the Opposition
Motion: Reinstatement of Community and Voluntary Funding
Proposed:
That this Assembly commends the work of the community and voluntary sector, who provide vital mental health services for the most vulnerable in society; recognises the immense challenges that will be faced by the health service as a result of a 50 per cent cut to their core grant funding; and calls on the Minister of Health to reinstate this funding as a matter of urgency.
Leader of the Opposition
Motion: Cross-departmental Co-operation on Children’s Mental Health
Proposed:
That this Assembly recognises that the challenges of mental health are not confined to a single department, but impact all aspects of government policy; regrets that a lack of cross-departmental co-operation, exacerbated by long periods without an Executive, has contributed to a breakdown in children’s services, severely impacting the mental health of many children and young people; and calls on the Minister of Finance to use the powers of the Children’s Services Co-operation Act (Northern Ireland) 2015 to instigate an effective model of cross-departmental co-operation on children’s services by enabling pooled funding, sharing of resources and joint accountability mechanisms to deliver effective cross-departmental action on children's mental health.
Leader of the Opposition
