Joe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am heartened by the Minister of State's response and I pay tribute to her efforts in this area. Since taking office, she has been very passionate about her work and a great support to me and many colleagues. She and her officials have liaised with me on a number of difficult cases and I thank her for that.

In regard to the audit, will she give some indication as to a timeline for when we might see it unfold? Will it be done in every CAMHS area at the same time or area by area? The third point of the review relates to medication. The Minister of State noted that only some files would be randomly selected. Overprescription of medication and, in some cases, over-reliance on medication are a huge issue for many parents. I would like to hear more detail on that aspect. Another point that needs to be addressed is the deficiency in staffing and the difficulty in recruiting staff right across CAMHS. I heard the Minister of State respond to a Deputy from Kerry on that point earlier. It is something about which I have a concern and I would like her to elaborate on it.

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