Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

A total of 6,480 children are waiting for various treatments or assessments in the CHO 7 area, of which my constituency of Dublin South-West has the highest proportion. It would be appropriate to send a message to the families waiting for those assessments on World Mental Health day, particularly to the many parents who are going through the courts to try to get an assessment. They believe they will then get the supports they need. Unfortunately, children are not getting these supports because of key shortages and staffing cuts in the area. The waiting list is getting longer and, unfortunately, many people do not want to work in that area because of the problems in it. Can the Minister of State give a commitment that he will look at this area? I have raised this matter frequently over the past 12 months.

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