Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The programme for Government contains a commitment to improving the provision of mental health services. Tipperary, the county I represent, does not have one mental health bed. When will the Taoiseach cry "halt"? What does it mean when Dr. John Hillery, a consultant psychiatrist and president of the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland, says that he has been forced to resign his role within the Health Service Executive and he and his colleagues are being ethically compromised? This is not the first time Dr. Hillery has raised these matters. Last year, he pointed out that the recruitment issue facing the child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, and general psychiatry services was crippling the service and that the terms and conditions of those working for the HSE were a major issue. When will the Taoiseach do something about the HSE? Mental health is a serious issue. Dr. Hillery visited the Houses twice at the invitation of the Ceann Comhairle. His prowess and stature on this issue are well recognised. He has now resigned because of the chaos in the HSE and its inability to recruit people. How could he remain in such a dysfunctional organisation?

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