Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Mental health is a huge issue in my constituency and throughout the country. I often say that we concentrated so much on Covid-19 that we took our eye off the ball for people with cancer or mental health stress. Some say there has been a huge increase in suicide. A proper register of people with mental health and death by suicide might show that those deaths might be at about the same level as Covid. Services have almost ground to a halt. People have been trying to get appointments for their young people who are in mental health distress but have been unable to do so, unfortunately. West Cork had a fabulous service in Cara Lodge in Enniskeane, which closed about two months ago.

It is incredible to think that a service like that, which was dealing with young people with stress and mental health issues and which was open for many years, was closed at such a vital time. Young people with issues relating to drugs misuse also availed of the services provided at Cara Lodge. It was stated that the opportunity was being taken to look at a different service. Cara Lodge could certainly have provided by a far different and better service than it was allowed to provide. The excellent staff of Cara Lodge are now fighting for redundancy packages. I have received so many emails from young people who had been there and who had emerged the better for it. Obviously, however, I am talking about a facility in west Cork, an area that does not come on the Government's radar. I mentioned the matter to the Taoiseach - I should have telephoned Boris Johnson because I would have got a better response - but he did nothing and sat idly by.

People are dealing with high levels of stress. During the pandemic, people in rural areas have not been able to go down to their local pub to have a little drink or whatever. This does cause stress. There is no reason as to why the rural pubs had to be closed. Rural pubs could have remained open. God knows that publicans are the most professional people in the world when it comes to dealing with individuals with mental health issues. If these pubs had remained open, people would have had a chance to get out and have a break and a chat. However, they were prevented from doing so. I have been receiving quite a number of calls from people who are supposed to be getting married and who cannot even have a little music - not dance but music - at their weddings. That is very sad, particularly in these times. People have said to me that live music is a great source of relief.

We then have people who tell me every day of the week that they cannot sleep because of mortgage distress, because they are trying to work with the banks and because they are losing their homes. Many publicans have informed me that they are trying to work with the banks because their premises are closed. The banks are just ignoring their pleas and are literally just taking their businesses off them. These people are at the edge and the State is standing idly by and allowing this to happen. We closed these people's businesses but we do not assist them in any way other than throwing crumbs to them during these times.

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