Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his questions. The Government is taking the report very seriously. We have a number of different initiatives, which it will take too long to deal with now. Specifically, however, the Deputy is mixing up Pathfinder and the youth mental health task force. The latter is not dependent on Pathfinder, a revolutionary project for the State aimed at breaking down the silo-like mentality that has existed between different Departments heretofore. I regret, and I am on record in this regard, that this has not yet come to pass and we are still waiting for the Departments of Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform to approve the Pathfinder project.

The recommendations contained in the youth mental health task force are being rolled out. As the Deputy is aware, this year alone we have recruited 116 assistant psychologists and 20 psychologists specifically for youth mental health, and ten advanced nurse practitioners to assist consultants where there are vacancies. The Deputy is aware I had a conference on Monday where I brought in all the digital online platforms and experts in telepsychiatry and telepsychology because I cannot make two consultant psychiatrists out of one where only one exists. That is something beyond the capacity of this Government and that of governments across the world. The Deputy is well aware that I am looking at new and innovative ways of dealing with those challenges and I intend to address them head on.

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