Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

On the same issue, there was also a tragic incident over the weekend in the constituency the Tánaiste and I represent. I have spoken with the Garda, the local authority and local people about it. I am not going to go into it because it is fresh in the mind. I worked for Tusla and the HSE for a number of years and on many occasions, I have seen young people and adults presenting themselves to hospitals in dire straits. Their mental health had completely collapsed and they went to those hospitals looking for help. They are sometimes waiting upwards of 24 or 48 hours. Two weeks ago, up to six people were waiting 16 hours to see a psychiatrist. The programme for Government contains huge promises in this area and I appeal to the Tánaiste to follow through on them. People are in dire straits across the board. They are looking for help and they need it now.

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