Professor Jim Lucey:

The Senator’s introduction was extremely helpful. It was more than a question; it opens up the dialogue very well. She talked about having the ability to quote so that she can go further with it and say, “This is what has been said”. One of the things we are to do is commend to the committee the detailed work Dr. Finnerty in this regard. I am quoting directly from her report where it states, “In Ireland, an inequity of service provision has arisen...” It is inequitable. She gives the example with regard to young people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, ADHD. It is a heavy term for people with difficulty with concentration and application, difficulty learning and difficulty attending.

She says that as a result of pressure of other needs, their priority has been let down, leading to a delay in access to the services they need. The consequences of untreated and delayed treatment is more complex and leads to delivery and a provision of care for this group which is disadvantaged. She goes on to say the same thing with regard to children and adolescents with learning difficulties, which she calls in the report "intellectual disabilities":

Children and adolescents with intellectual disability living with a mental disorder may not only need support from a specialist mental health service, but also, at various points or simultaneously, from all community services (Primary Care, CDNT, CAMHS-ID and inpatient services) during their illness, treatment and recovery.

[...]

There is no clinical governance structure linking these staff members with mental health colleagues and hence they do not provide a CAMHS-ID service structure.

These are the quotes and this is a definitive study. It is the most comprehensive study of the disadvantage of the children to whom we have a constitutional obligation, yet it is important that members quote it because they are in the seats of power.