Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome all of the witnesses and thank them for their contributions and written statements. I will ask questions of the groups in the order they spoke. The Mental Health Commission raised some issues, including in respect of engagement with An Garda Síochána. It strikes me, and has long struck me, that many of the situations members of the Garda encounter involve individuals who have a mental health issue. These individuals have been let down by many systems before finally ending up with An Garda Síochána. In many cases, that reflects a failure of early intervention and the inability of the mental health services to cope with the level of demand and the pressure that has been put on them for a long time. When gardaí end up in that situation, they very often come across an individual who is psychotic or who has a dual diagnosis, that is, someone who has issues with drugs or alcohol in addition to another issue. The point I am coming relates to the training gardaí need to be able to deal with these multifaceted issues. The commission mentioned the pilot programme in Limerick in its submission. Does that programme answer those calls? Does it work? Are there lessons to be learned from it?