Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Prime Time programme about the loss of lives due to mental health issues would have brought a tear out of anyone's eye. Over the last 16 or 18 months during Covid, many people have struggled with mental health. In Roscommon, the acute unit, which was once a 33-bed unit, was reduced to a 23-bed unit. Over recent years, the HSE in its great wisdom decided it would close day-care centres and, indeed, hostels in the likes of Ballaghaderreen and Athleague and, unfortunately, Renbrack house in Boyle was another recent casualty to this system it is running. There is fear that the hostel in Strokestown is going to close as well. I went back and looked at figures in 2019 and one hotel for vulnerable people - we are talking about vulnerable people here - was given €30,000 to accommodate them. The Tánaiste is well familiar with the situation in the Rosalie unit for people with Alzheimer's disease and mental issues, where a battle went on for several years.

On 8 June 2020, the Tánaiste and Paul Reid officially opened the CAMHS Connect mental health service. There was great fanfare with €2.5 million to be spent on this great idea. Anecdotal evidence would suggest that the televisions landed into those premises are worth approximately €1,200 each. It is all dolled up and ready to go, but after such a launch with all the cosmetic, which seems to be the HSE’s main work in that it wants to make it look good in theory, unfortunately, there is no money to give to this service now. Does the Tánaiste think it is disgusting that, after having launched this on 8 June last year when he said this service would be available, the vulnerable people in that county are once again left high and dry?

Does he think it is acceptable that hotels get €30,000 to provide the service while hostels owned by the State have been closed? At the moment, there is an acute unit comprising 23 beds that is full to capacity. There is no step-down facility. What is the vision of the HSE in respect of this matter? Will the Minister get involved in dealing with it? Will the Tánaiste, who launched CAMHS Connect, which no one will deny was a great idea, get involved to make sure that money is provided in respect of that service for the people of County Roscommon and the wider area, which also straddles the county borders of Mayo and Galway? Will he make sure that the closure happening in Roscommon, which is being carried out by people who would rather buy pictures for a building and not open it in order that they can look good and talk about what they did, will be stopped once and for all?

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