Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

With respect, the Minister of State made a political charge in his response relating to a very serious matter, the diagnostic management of patients with severe mental illnesses. As Minister of State with responsibility for mental health, I have heard him talk more about rural taxis and telepsychiatry to get headlines in the Irish Independentthan I have heard about solutions for mental health services. It is a disgrace that the Minister of State has made a political charge. I was trying to be constructive. I agree that it is not about throwing more money at the HSE. It is about delivering services and that is what the Minister of State is in an executive position for, to deliver mental health services. It is not about making political charges and talking about Fianna Fáil. We are trying to be constructive and to provide solutions, but the Minister of State is not doing that. He is not delivering. He has not made any positive changes relating to CAMHS in my area, where we have seen worsening of waiting lists and where his Government has allowed vacant consultant positions to leave behind children with particular diagnoses. It is the Minister of State's responsibility to act, not to get headlines about Ruxi, coalitions with Sinn Féin or telepsychiatry.

See this speech in context