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

I have known the Minister of State for a while and am not blaming her for any of this, but she is dealing with an elephant, in that she is in the Department of Health but the HSE does its own thing. A few years ago, elderly people with different needs were in the Rosalie unit in Castlerea. People right across the board - Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin and Independents - did everything in their power to fight against Mr. Tony Canavan and his team and keep it open. Unfortunately, many of the residents passed away after they were moved. I remember the battle that Mr. Liam Walsh fought for his mother and the other residents but the HSE had to close it because the HSE was going to do new things with it.

CAMHS was going to be a whole new thing. During Covid, we were brought down and kept apart from one another at a big launch to set out what was going to be done with mental services for young people in Roscommon. We were going to have the most sophisticated system. In fairness to the Minister of State, she visited a few months ago. It was a launch with a lot of hoo-ha. It was a political stunt. Approximately six or nine months later, I raised the matter with the then Taoiseach, who is the current Tánaiste, during Leaders' Questions in the convention centre. In fairness to him, he was stunned that the service was not open. It was not his fault for a simple reason, that being, the HSE does its own thing. A building has been done up and there is a television the size of a room. Sadly, however, the services are not there. This is what is going on. It is no fault of the Department of Health or the Minister for Health. I am not blaming them. They have an out-of-control elephant in the form of the HSE.

Unfortunately, we have seen cases involving children in our counties. We have seen reports being done and claims that what happened will never happen again. Through the courts, I have read about what happened in certain parts of the country. Does anyone ever learn?

Deputy McGuinness said that people needed to be accountable. Let us be clear and not BS the public - there is no sacking or getting rid of these people. That is the bottom line. We have to be honest with the public. No matter what these people do in any Department, we cannot get rid of them. The best we can hope for is that they will be moved sideways to somewhere else.

Time and again, I have rang trying to help children only to be told that someone or other was on holidays. As far as I can see, everyone seems to be on holidays. You might eventually be able to get in contact with them. The children will go for an assessment and then see someone after a month or two. If a child has depression or another psychiatric problem, though, it should be dealt with straight away. It does not hold for two, three or six months. That is the problem. Some of the parents in question are on very low incomes and unfortunately have to scrape together money to get private consultants and other private professionals to try to help their children.

I have listened to various Deputies. They mean what they say and I am not having a go at anyone, but there is a reality, in that when we ask a question of a Minister, we get a nice reply to the effect that the HSE will respond in two weeks' time. The HSE is out there doing what it wants and we have no say about it. We have to be honest with the public. Back when politicians had a say, everyone gave out, including journalists. Now, it has gone too far the other way and affairs are in a sad state. It is sad that I have to tell people that there is not a great deal of hope for youngsters at the moment in terms of the services that are being provided.

That is all I am going to say. I do not have a lot of faith in statements in this place anymore.

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