Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I take the opportunity to thank the people of Dublin West for not just electing me once but twice in the space of three months. This is my first time addressing the House since returning. Because of the limited time, as the previous Deputy alluded to, I ask the Minister to respond to my questions in writing to allow my colleague to come in immediately after me.

The Minister's big announcement of €1.1 million for mental health supports might have grabbed a few headlines but it will not deliver for front-line mental health services which were already struggling to provide a service pre-Covid-19. This is particularly noticeable in youth mental health supports. As of December, pre-Covid-19, 2,327 children were waiting for an appointment with the HSE child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS. Over 100 of these kids have been waiting for 18 months and some have been waiting for more than two years. In my area of Dublin Mid-West, pre-Covid-19 our local youth mental health service, Jigsaw, was moved from a five-day comprehensive service based in north Clondalkin to a probable one or two-day-a-week satellite service. Jigsaw has seen a 420% increase in young people trying to access its service online since the outbreak of Covid-19. Why is this? Our young people are still unclear where they stand on the leaving certificate examinations. They are missing school, missing their friends and missing their sports. Some young people are witnessing and experiencing an increased level of domestic violence at home and they have no safe place to go to. Young people have lost loved ones and have not been able to attend the funeral and grieve properly due to the current restrictions. I take this opportunity to add my condolences to anybody who has lost somebody in these challenging times.

There are many other examples - I do not have time to go into them today - of why our young people would need mental health services more than ever during the Covid-19 pandemic. These are some of the questions I would like the Minister to reply to me in writing. What additional resources is he directing to front-line youth mental health services? What additional resources will he direct to front-line mental health services post Covid-19? How will the Minister reduce the waiting list for CAMHS? Will he intervene and retain the services of Jigsaw in north Clondalkin?

Our young people are very resourceful and are often not given the credit they deserve. For example, young people across Dublin Mid-West - it is probably the same in the Minister's constituency - have been painting positivity rocks. I do not know if the Minister has seen them. They are really good. They contain words of encouragement for our fellow citizens in this time of tribulation. I brought one to Leinster House and left it on the plinth for people to see. It simply states, "We're in this together." That is really good advice from young people.

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