Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Do the Minister and the Minister of State have full confidence in the management of the HSE? Let us consider the example of Linn Dara, where service users and their families were given five days prior notice of the cessation of day care. Surely that constitutes bad management? It feels like Groundhog Day because 11 beds were closed at Linn Dara last year and day-care services have been have been brought to an end this year. The Linn Dara management team knew last year that a situation would arise this year and they were able to forward plan as a result.

I have heaps of paper with me relating to complaints about CAMHS. I know people are getting frustrated. This comes down to management. Some €27 million has been pumped into Cashel hospital and it costs perhaps €8 million a year to keep it going. Units in the hospital are lying idle at a time when services are needed.

Cork County Council has tabled a motion requesting that five psychologists be appointed to keep the service going in Mahon. As stated, we have already seen what happened with Linn Dara. We have mentioned Waterford and Wexford. It all comes back to accountability and responsibility. The committee has heard witnesses state that their managers have threatened them and told them not to come before the committee. Surely those managers should be held accountable for their actions. Witnesses will not feel like appearing before a committee if they have been threatened.