Dr. Niall Muldoon:

I know there are currently a number of pilot programmes running in one or two of the units around the country. As the Deputy knows, there are four HSE-run units and two private adolescent units, and there are advocacy services in some of them. What service a person gets might depend on who the person is and what he or she pays for, and the person might have an advocacy service available to him or her. We need to make sure it is totally consistent and free for all. I was just flagging that to make sure it does not become an issue in the future. The right way forward is to provide a well-trained professional to assist our children at their lowest ebb, as well as the parents, because parents do not know the system either. We need to make sure of that. Again, this is standard practice worldwide and it should not be an issue. I just want to make sure it stays free and available to all.