Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

The Taoiseach stated it will not take too long. What about the parents in Kerry who waited four years and four months for their child to get an assessment? Did the Taoiseach see the programme last night? If so, was he ashamed? Was it one of these programmes he feigns not to have seen?

Does anybody in the Government ever own up to accountability? Is there any accountability in the Taoiseach's Government? How could he have watched the harrowing images on the screen last night? How could he have watched parents at the end of their tether trying to deal with children with chronic disorders? We then had the image of the Minister of State responsible smugly proclaiming that the psychiatric profession is responsible and despicably passing the buck. Has the Taoiseach ever seen a more gauche unfortunate declaration of ignorance by a Minister of State responsible for any aspect of Government policy?

In reply to Deputy Kenny, the Taoiseach put his head down and muttered into his chest that his Government is trying to improve mental health. It will not improve mental health with a man who clearly has no empathy with the plight of families who are left waiting for psychological assessment for the same period which that family in Kerry waited.

In 1999, the then Minister with responsibility for education, Deputy Woods, stated that all national schools would have direct access to educational psychologists by 2004. According to the survey and the INTO, only 50% of primary schools have such access. The Taoiseach stated that he provides the resources, but in 1997 11% of the health budget was spent on mental health services — the current figure is 7.3%. The tax yield is €3.8 billion higher than expected and there is an Exchequer surplus of €5.89 billion as against a forecast Exchequer deficit of €2.9 billion. There is almost €9 billion to boast about in terms of resources at the disposal of the Government.

Children who are acknowledged to be at risk of chronic mental disorder are left in those circumstances because the disorder is unattended or not assessed, no early intervention occurs and no psychologists are available because the tax breaks of the former Minister for Finance, Deputy McCreevy, drove them into private practice. Parents must do the best they can.

The Taoiseach will not even admit that the man who is responsible is not fit to hold this office. I do not speak about him personally, I speak about his political ability to do a job and empathise with and understand the area for which he is responsible. For once in his life, will the Taoiseach state that his Government will have accountability when a Minister of State is manifestly incapable of doing his job?

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