Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I welcome all the witnesses. I want to start off by asking some questions about children who have been very severely affected by the restrictions arising from Covid. I refer to the fear, being closed in, the loss of contact with friends, and the loss of involvement in school activities, in particular. These have had a pretty severe impact on children in the early stages of development. We heard earlier about the services Jigsaw is providing for young people at second level. What services are in place or what specific programmes are proposed for primary school children? We know significant issues will arise. Presumably, given the long waiting lists for all children's mental health services, it would make sense to deliver school-based programmes and public health messages. What is proposed for that age cohort?

We are all very familiar with the terribly inadequate services for preschool children with potential mental health difficulties. An example comprises the early intervention teams. We probably have all heard from constituents whose children were on waiting lists for so long that they reached the age of five before the HSE could provide a service to them. They might have been waiting for services for three or four years and aged out. Specifically, what do the witnesses intend to do to address the issues affecting that cohort and primary school children?