Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We will come back to the issue and the proposals, and write to party leaders. The Dáil needs to take control of this issue and inject urgency into it.

I want to raise the issue of the publication of the Mental Health Commission's annual report. Once again, it highlights deficiencies that are seriously affecting the issue of children being admitted to adult mental health units in the State. We see from the report that 84 children were admitted to adult mental health units last year. The head of the commission, Mr. John Farrelly, said the placement of any child in any adult unit indicates a service provision gap. He goes on to say that no child should access mental health services through a unit that was not equipped to deal with their needs. I am sure the Tánaiste will share the view that this is totally unacceptable. It has gone on for far too long and it is time to end this practice once and for all. It is time to deliver on A Vision for Change. How many years is it that we have this promise to deliver the number of beds that are required? It is time to make sure all beds are commissioned. Only 44 of the 74 beds were operational last year. Will the Tánaiste outline to those children and others what is the plan to make sure no child has to access mental health services through adult services?

See this speech in context