Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Maith go leor. Tá mé buíoch don Leas-Cheann Comhairle fá choinne deis a thabhairt dom labhairt ar an ábhar tábhachtach seo. Tá mé sásta an Aire, an Teachta Phelan, a fheiceáil anseo, ach tá mé míshásta nach bhfuil an tAire ceart i láthair.

This Topical Issue matter is about the consistent failure by the Government to deliver adequate and effective community mental health services in north Louth, and especially child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS.

In October 2016, I visited the Ladywell mental health centre in Dundalk which should provide these services for north Louth, but despite the heroic commitment of the staff, it cannot deliver the services because the building is crumbling. The Ladywell centre was built 70 years ago as accommodation for nurses working in the Louth county hospital.

It was never intended, and is not suitable, for the delivery of community mental health services. Thirteen years after the publication of A Vision for Change child and adolescent mental health services in my constituency are in crisis. Figures released last week show that 345 young people in CHO 8, which covers my constituency, are awaiting CAMHS services. Of these, 140, one-third, have been waiting for more than three months. Other figures released to my colleague, Deputy Louise O'Reilly, show that the staffing deficit in CAMHS is such that at least €40 million is needed to address it. In this regard, there are just over half, 54%, the number of the staff which A Vision for Change said was necessary. There is no consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist in this area and five senior medical social worker positions, two senior psychologist positions and a range of other senior positions remain unfilled. This means that thousands of children and young people are not receiving the mental health supports they need within the appropriate timeframes. What steps is the Government planning to take to address this issue and what additional funding will be made available for staff?

The Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, is reported to have said recently that A Vision for Change is being "refreshed". What does that mean and when will the new version be published? Thirteen years ago, Louth mental health services were allocated additional staff. Even if they all arrived tomorrow, there is no building from which they can operate. People from the north of the county, from Carlingford, Omeath, Faughart, Shelagh, Dundalk, Dromiskin, and many other places have to travel as far Ardee or Drogheda to access community mental health services. This places an unfair burden of travel on vulnerable individuals and families, some of them dependent on declining public bus services.

Last August, when I asked about the lack of suitable premises I was told that community health services would be provided within the new primary care centre in Dundalk, which was first advertised in 2008 but has not yet moved off the drawing board. In November 2016 I was advised in response to a parliamentary question that it was hoped that the operational lease process for the primary care centre in Dundalk would be completed in the first quarter of 2017. Last August, the HSE stated that the planning application would be submitted by the end of 2018, that work would commence in 2019 and the centre would be open early in 2020. None of these deadlines has been or will be met. I would like an update on this process. I hope the Minister of State, Deputy John Paul Phelan, who I acknowledge is standing for the Minister of State, Deputy Daly, this evening will be able to respond to my questions.

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