Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mental Health Reform and Dr. Philip Hyland of Maynooth University for their assistance in drafting the motion. The Leas-Cheann Comhairle will want to join me in thanking the mental health staff who are working in hugely trying circumstances in our services across the country, and particularly in our acute services. I know this issue is close to the heart of Leas-Cheann Comhairle, as it is to mine.

I wish to raise two specific issues, the first of which concerns young adults. This group has been disproportionately impacted by the Covid-19 restrictions that have been put in place.

This is the case from a mental health perspective in particular. There has been much focus on older people and isolation and there are challenges in urban and rural areas arising from isolation. However, young people's lives have been turned upside down. These are people who this time last year would have been going out while at college and involved with clubs and societies, as well as sporting organisations. All that is gone and they are not even attending lectures now. They do not have the basic human interaction that is so normal for young adults. I am really frustrated we are brushing this matter under the carpet.

The Minister of State knows that on a number of occasions I have said directly to the Taoiseach that we must look forensically at the restrictions that have been put in place, taking into account the risks and balancing them with benefits. That is not happening because we are ignoring the vast volume of data that is there to help us make decisions. It may be that we might say to young people that they can meet people in a coffee shop or go back to lectures but if they do so, they must isolate before they visit granny or grandad, or they should keep away from older people.

The risks with younger people are far smaller once they remain within their own bubble or population cohort. The concern is that they could bring the virus to family settings and, as a result, spread the infection to older people in particular. We must be far more forensic in how we deal with this. If we believe it is vital that children have access to education at primary and post-primary level, surely the same logic applies with third level students.

Speaking about children, there is a very serious backlog in addressing mental health and behavioural concerns in the child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, across this country, with 2,229 children on a waiting list for assessment, never mind getting the treatment they require.

I also raise the mental health services across Roscommon, Galway and Mayo. I am astounded to find that as part of the winter initiative this year and dealing with the consequences of Covid-19, not one additional cent has been provided to our mental health services. We have been told that mental health services should, under Sláintecare, receive 10% of the total health budget but last year mental health services received 6% of the total health budget. This year, that proportion has been cut to 5% of the total health budget.

The reality is more pressure is being put on mental health services, particularly with respect to the acute mental health services in the west of Ireland. In our acute units in the west of Ireland, we are looking at a 100% occupancy rate. Taking into account Covid-19 concerns, we should at the maximum operate at 80% capacity but people are being turned away. Not only are they being turned away but there is not an alternative service available to them. The mental health support networks and services that should be in place have been wound down because of social distancing, which is compounding problems associated with isolation, particularly for people in an acute phase of mental health issues. I am afraid this will have long and far-reaching consequences unless the concerns are addressed immediately.

See this speech in context