Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Not really. I am only using that as an example. This is reflective of the situation across the service. If the Chair wishes, I could go into the issue of the children’s disability network teams, CDNTs, and the debacle regarding the child disability network. We do not have a full child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, team anywhere in the country that is reflective of the budget. The concept of the child disability network teams is a joke. I had a case concerning a child aged nine whose application for a wheelchair sat on a desk for nine weeks. I have also dealt with anorexic patients, of whom there are some 23 in Wexford, and a paediatric dietician has not been added to the CAMHS service. I was also contacted by a clinical nurse specialist with 13 years' experience and who was moved from one CAMHS unit to another. There was no explanation. That clinical nurse specialist sat for two weeks with no handover process, no files and no computer and it was impossible to see patients. He was then escorted out by a security guard when he returned to get his belongings.

These are the questions the public wants answered. This committee and Mr. Watt should be working together to get the answers. The only difference is that Mr. Watt is paid a large salary. This is not to be derogatory; it is just a fact. It is a salary that got much publicity. Therefore, I am asking Mr. Watt what actions he has brought to the table to ensure delivery of all these things. I am asking this because if I was given €1 million to go from A to B, and, having received that money at A, I arrived at B with no money, I would want to be able to give an explanation, rather than just saying it went down a black hole. This is what I am asking. On behalf of the public, represented here by the members of this committee, what actions has Mr. Watt taken to ensure delivery of the service that warrants €21 billion?