Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

In the programme for Government a commitment is given to build further capacity for the child and adolescent mental health service, CAMHS. Last year I was informed by the Government that an additional 114 assistant psychologists and 20 psychologists would be recruited, which I welcomed. In a response to a parliamentary question this month it was stated CAMHS was operating with only 39 out of 72 in-patient beds nationally. As of 26 November, there were 44 out of 74 beds in use.

Despite the commitment the Government made, does it accept that we are going backwards in this area?

See this speech in context