Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I will repeat what I said, namely, that there is no child or adolescent mental health provision and no psychiatry of old age in north Louth. Is that acceptable? It cannot be acceptable. There is no adequate facility. There is a decrepit building which cannot even accommodate the extra staff that were brought into the area.

The Taoiseach mentioned A Vision for Change. It contained a recommendation to the effect that the proportion of the total health budget allocated to mental health should be progressively increased to 8.24%. Even that would be below international standards but it has never been realised. The lack of capital investment in mental health services in County Louth has resulted in completely inadequate facilities. How can a parent bring a child with depression 60 km from Carlingford to Drogheda for an appointment on, for example, public transport, which the Government is cutting back also? Why should an older person with perhaps a lifelong history of mental health difficulties be expected to travel 50 km from Omeath to services in Ardee? How can mental health providers be expected to do their job if they cannot even get a desk in Dundalk? When will an appropriate building be provided for mental health services in north Louth so that citizens can access essential and life-saving services?

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