Dr. Niall Muldoon:

According to the Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, a decision by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is awaited. As far as I am concerned that amounts to the bean counters saying that children do not deserve this project. It has been signalled within the Civil Service for the past two years that this would be a flagship project for mental health services. The pathfinder project aims to bring mental health services together, with increased collaboration, over a three-year period. We should be making it happen as opposed to delaying it for financial reasons. The committee has already heard about some of the consequences of missed steps when organisations and partners do not work together. We need to push forward with that as soon as possible.