Responding to questioning from Deputy Montfort Tadier in the States this week, Senator Andrew Green said that ‘it had been forgotten’ what the Council of Ministers’ spending plans, outlined in the Medium-Term Financial Plan, were about.
Deputy Tadier asked Senator Green whether he knew of any cases where the mental health of vulnerable Islanders had been ‘exacerbated’ by the stress of recently receiving letters from the Social Security Department advising them that their income support was being cut.
In response, Senator Green said that anyone who was stressed by the cuts should contact his department for help, and that more investment in mental health services was planned to support vulnerable Islanders.
‘It’s not about austerity, it’s about investing, particularly in health and mental health.
‘We have £1.1 million going into talking therapies, £2.4 million going into additional community-based mental health services and a further £2.1 million going in the year after.
‘This is what this investment is about.
‘I understand that some people are going through change, and change is stressful.
‘But what we are trying to do is to support people in the community through our services.
‘It’s not just about money – it’s about supporting people and helping them to recover.’
Senator Green added that the Health Department would be presenting its mental health strategy to States Members on Friday and that he was satisfied his department was ‘moving in the right direction’.
- £90 million of cuts to Jerseys public sector, including £70 million of staff savings.
- The introduction of a new health charge to raise £35 million, and a new sewage charge to raise £10 million.
- Cuts to welfare paid out by the Social Security Department to save £10 million, including the axing of the pensioners Christmas bonus of £83 each year.
