Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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I thank the witnesses for their presentations and all the invaluable work they do to advocate for our most vulnerable citizens. We share Dr. Muldoon's concerns about the lack of clarity and transparency when it comes to where the money is being spent. This committee has been hitting a brick wall for the past few months. In particular, I thank Ms Brennan. She was very courageous and I know she did that for her own child and the children in her own area and our country.I know how difficult that was for her and we really appreciate it. She hit the nail on the head. Fundamentally, it is a crucial test for society via politics and we are failing miserably. In the new politics that we talk about, mental health support should be top of the agenda.

Many of the questions I was going to ask about the Mental Health Commission have already been answered. Do we have any idea about the number of unregulated mental health care services outside approved centres or where they are located? What happens when they come to the attention of the commission? Do we have any statistics in this area?

I will concentrate on education because that is my background. I was interested in Dr. Muldoon's recommendation for school-based counselling. It is something I would be keen to see. I know it is the norm in many countries so how can we do this? Does Dr. Muldoon believe that the Department of Education and Skills and the Department of Health are working together properly to address supports for our children? Is that interdepartmental collaboration close enough? Are the Departments working together in innovative ways to support them? Is the promotion of happiness and mental resilience among our children being addressed at all? In a recent survey, the majority of primary school principals said that they just do not know. Children are really stressed out and more anxious than ever before and principals do not know how to cope with it and how to help these children. Is that interdepartmental approach there?

There was a reference to some teachers doing some work. It is quite sporadic. What needs to be done there to ensure that it is not so sporadic and that we have the proper training for teachers before we reach the stage where we get those counsellors on site? What is the obstacle there because it cannot be sporadic and down to a post code? A lot of the time, children in the most vulnerable post codes are being let down so what can be done to ensure it is done across the board?