Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I thank our guests for assisting us in this profoundly important pre-legislative scrutiny. A review of mental healthcare in Ireland is very much warranted. My first question relates to what happened in south Kerry CAMHS. Like other statements, that of the IMO has shone a light on the inadequacies in respect of mental healthcare in Ireland, but it paints a picture that is not only very honest but also quite bleak in regard to the current state of our mental healthcare. In light of the consequences of inadequate staffing and so forth, is there a systemic failure in respect of CAMHS throughout the State? I fear that this overprescription of medicine for children is not an isolated scenario. If that is the case, there is a serious issue of trust in the context of CAMHS throughout the State. What happened is very serious and people want answers. It is in everyone's interest to find out what happened. Is it symptomatic of the wider service? The IMO's statement refers to the consequences of a lack of resources and to other structural issues that are ongoing. Is what happened in south Kerry one of those consequences?