John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree with large parts of the Minister of State's response, including in regard to the need to retain the €35 million provided under the programme for Government for mental health services in general. Perhaps I would be able to get more information on the decision of the working group if a Minister from the Department of Health were present. Why has the HSE working group on the hiring of psychologists adopted a completely different policy from the one that exists in health services everywhere else in Europe and farther afield? There are 20 psychologist vacancies, although the 60 counselling psychologists on a panel will never be allowed to fill them as a result of the criteria drawn up by the HSE working group. No similar criteria exist anywhere else. The Minister of State's answer is wholly inadequate from that perspective.

I have dealt with an individual who was hired by the HSE as a counselling psychologist in the area of child protection prior to 2009. Now he can never even apply for vacancies that arise in that area because of the mistaken guidelines published by the HSE's working group. Vacancies remain around the country and much-needed psychological services are not provided, yet qualified psychologists must travel around the world to get work. We must advertise positions in other jurisdictions because we maintain a strict interpretation resulting in the decision that only clinical psychologists can be hired. I really do not understand how we can justify this position.

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