Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)

I know the people in the Irish Advocacy Network. They are service users. They are there for the good of the people they represent. They do not have another agenda.

I would like to respond to Deputy Ó Caoláin by saying we are not yet certain about what the exit rate will be. The serious difficulty we have is that we are not certain. We managed to secure 400 additional places in the health service plan. The moratorium or pause is a big issue. We need to start dealing with that. I am sure the Deputy, like me, was gratified to hear the Minister, Deputy Howlin, say in the media recently that certain front line services will have to be the subject of an indepth examination. We will have to look at who we employ, where we employ them and the gaps that exist in that regard. That work will have to be done as a matter of urgency. It is clear that more people have always left the psychiatric services than any other part of the health service. That has been the case not just this year but for a number of years.

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