Marc MacSharry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I know the topic is no stranger to the Minister of State at the Department of Health with special responsibility for disabilities, Deputy Finian McGrath, and I do not doubt his personal commitment. It is a shame the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Jim Daly, could not make time to be here for the entire debate because it is a very serious matter. There are not many debates about mental health in the House, or on legislation specific to it, so he could have cleared the diary if the inclination was there. Whether it is his own fault or that of his diary secretary, it does not augur well for the approach of this House to this very important area.

I fully support the Bill put forward by my colleague, Deputy James Browne. It brings us in line with international best practice as regards parity, as is seen in our nearest neighbours. It ensures that mental health is central to health issues. Sadly, over the years, mental health has consistently been the poor relation and we have seen scandals of various descriptions at different times. There have been a few flashes of spin-managed celebrations by Governments but A Vision for Change, which all parties have bought into over the years, cannot celebrate its successes because less than 50% of it has been implemented, despite the fact that we are at or around the 12th birthday of the initiative.

In my constituency of Sligo-Leitrim North, and in south Donegal and north Roscommon, as Deputies Scanlon, McLoughlin and Martin Kenny will verify, we have a shambles of a service, notwithstanding the very hardworking professionals in it. The national staff numbers are 600 down on what they should be for an adequate service and for us to do what we are supposed to be doing. Our clinics are inundated with people of every party, colour and creed, desperately trying to get a child assessed, sometimes just for a follow-up on ongoing medication to ascertain whether it is necessary for them to continue to have the prescribed dosage of what are often very heavy medications. In some instances they may need to be increased but in many more they need to be decreased and it is arguable that children are being badly affected by this.

Our health system generally, although it is populated by many hardworking professionals, is packed with managers, administrators and so on but is absent of leaders and this is underpinned by this week's crisis. I hope the Minister will take some of these issues on board.

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