Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

If we were to listen to the Minister, the position regarding child and adolescent mental health services is absolutely fantastic and could not be better. That is not the experience of those in a crisis and those who need support in various aspects of dealing with their mental health. Figures provided to my colleague, Deputy Kelleher, at the Oireachtas committee showed there are ten community CAMHS posts available in CHO 8, as the HSE likes to call the region in which I live in Meath and Louth, Laois-Offaly and Longford-Westmeath. Under A Vision for Change, and allowing for demographic changes and the population changes with which we constantly seem to be playing catch-up, there should be 179 posts in place, so we are way below where we should be. Ten are in place; there should be 179. There are just not enough. There is a massive shortage in the north east and the midlands and it is having a really adverse effect on children's and young people's mental health. We are not living up to A Vision for Change or its recommendations. The Minister of State can talk about reviewing A Vision for Change, but it is not enough. We want in place what we need now to deal with the children and adolescents who need the services.

See this speech in context