Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

The programme for Government makes a serious commitment to improve mental health services for young people and adolescents. A shocking letter was sent yesterday by the Psychiatric Nurses Association to the Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, which shows that the number of operational beds in the Linn Dara child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, unit in Cherry Orchard has been reduced to 13 from 24. For the past two years we have been protesting both here in the House and outside the hospital about the lack of services for adolescents with serious mental illnesses.

We only saw yesterday reports of cyberbullying incidents that resulted in suicide and shockingly an increase in the level of suicide among young women. A society should be measured by how it treats its most vulnerable. This is an indictment of the Government. Despite the programme for Government commitment to young people and mental health, the Minister should look at the state of our services. What future do young people who are vulnerable have to look forward to if the Cabinet cannot sort it out? I ask the Minister to bring this to Cabinet as an issue for urgent consideration because we cannot continue to have half of good units shut down and made inaccessible to young people.

See this speech in context