Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Dara Calleary for raising this issue. The Minister for Health and his Government colleagues are aware that it is serious. Timely access to care is essential as part of good health provision, particularly in CAMHS. The Government has shown its commitment to achieving this by increasing funding for mental health services by over €200 million since 2012, as well as the number of staff. Additional staff are badly needed. The Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, has scheduled a round-table meeting of all CAMHS service providers in the coming weeks. While there is no doubt that recruitment in this area is difficult, it is being addressed on a continuous basis. The HSE is operating a national and international recruitment campaign for CAMHS consultant psychiatrists. The recruitment of 114 assistant psychologists and 22 psychologists for primary care child psychology services has been completed, with 111 assistant psychologists and 20 psychologists in their posts. Improvements are being made to children's counselling services. The development of new Jigsaw sites in Cork, Dublin and Limerick will bring the total to 13 sites nationally. I am more than aware of the number of children on waiting lists to receive the treatment and diagnosis they need. There is a sense of urgency within the Government. Recruitment in this area is not easy, but there is a very active national and international recruitment campaign to try to deal with the shortfall in staff.

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