Erin McGreehan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank our witnesses for attending. This is a important meeting. Every week, we hold important meetings. However, it is important to discuss this issue and learn about it. I have been learning this morning from listening to the witnesses. Much of this has been misunderstood or permitted to be misunderstood and ignored. People will be prescribed too much medication, sent off in a box or told they are not fit. It is a circle, and people do not get out of it because we are failing to understand or being allowed to pretend that we do not see what is happening. We see constantly that people with disabilities are not given the space to be heard or, exactly as was stated a moment ago, to have what is suitable to them. We are failing to support them across the board. We look at healthcare, housing, education and employment, and then we go back into that circle again whereby we fail to provide support services. People have mental health issues, and how could they not? I am surprised that the figure is only four in ten people who have been sidelined and have mental health issues.

I have a question for MHR. Thankfully, a lot of community and voluntary services are available to support people in the context of mental health services and moving to a social prescribing model. I am a big advocate of social prescribing. It is a fantastic model when it is best suited to the person involved. We are funding many of these groups. MHR provided massive grants last year, which was extremely important. Where is the oversight in respect of these organisations? They are delivering an important service to people who are either vulnerable or potentially vulnerable. Are their results being audited? Are they delivering mental health services? They are calling them mental health services, but are they delivering them in a way that is suitable for the people to whom they are delivering? We need to ensure they are able to signpost, because, as we all know, the social prescribing model is part of a package. It might not be the entire package. Where is the oversight and potential auditing in this regard? The State is spending a lot of money and we need to ensure it is being used properly. That is not to belittle any of the organisations involved. I just want to ensure that they have the arm around their shoulders in order to bring them to where they want to be.

I also have a question for the National Advocacy Service. Local government is a centre point for many things. It is a major cog in the wheel of creating safe and supportive communities. Are local government staff trained, equipped or in any way effectively supported to help individuals with disabilities who come to their offices? Are they equipped to direct people to where they need to go? Is a social worker who might be in a local government office able to do this? Is the separation between the HSE and local government so big that we are losing a lot of people from the system? The HSE delivers housing in some cases, or not as the stories we have heard quite rightly indicate. Local government also provides housing. There is a gap in the middle. Are a lot of people being lost between those two stools?