Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his response, but it is the response I expected. I have been raising this issue through communications with the former Minister of State, in the Department, Deputy McEntee, for the past number of months because a red flag was raised about it. I would have communicated with the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, and the Minister, Deputy Harris and the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Zappone, to try to find where it would fit into. I am delighted the Minister of State is here to take the issue today because it is a HSE issue.

It would cost €35,000 to run this service on an annual basis. If that figure is divided by the number of children who are availing of it, it works out at €175 of an investment per child over a 12 week period. These children are knocking on the door asking for help. As Deputy Connolly said, 50% refer themselves. Are we going to tell those children that we will not give them the €175 because we do not believe in that investment? Those children need to hear from the Minister of State that a lifeline in the form of an investment will be given by this Government. They can no longer shake fund-raising buckets at people in an effort to raise funding to keep the doors open and save children's lives.

See this speech in context