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

We have received the classic response that more funding is being allocated. We accept that but one problem is that the Government throws money at issues without getting service delivery. We have the second highest health spending per capitain the OECD but what parents and children care about is actual delivery. It is not about how much the Government is allocating or how many more consultants it is talking about, but how people can see a consultant as quickly as possible. The figures are worse, with 193 now versus 186 in November. The Minister of State mentioned a consultant being out and nobody being in an area to cover a population in Dublin 15 that is the size of some cities. There is nobody to see someone and the burden of care is on other consultants who already have significant waiting times. I am aware of children who have a particular diagnosis, have been referred by general practitioners, GPs, and are told by CAMHS that their diagnosis does not match the level of severity that it can deal with, despite it being within the diagnostic guidelines for its own service delivery. That is a serious issue. If someone presented to an emergency department with a significant acute physical problem-----

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