Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I commend Deputy Ward on bringing this important issue to the floor of the Dáil for a Private Members' debate. I thank the Ministers of State, Deputies Rabbitte and Butler, for being here. I do not say the following to many Ministers or Ministers of State but I accept the sincerity of both when it comes to this issue and their bona fides that they want to address many of the issues and challenges that have been raised here tonight. However, that does not mean they can extradite themselves from the failings that have been exposed in recent weeks, some of which came as no surprise to many families the length and breadth of the country.

The Mental Health Commission was able to establish that there was a category of children who were lost from the service, children who were registered with CAMHS and who did not receive the necessary follow-up. I reiterate the call of the Minister of State to tell people, including parents, children and teenagers who need support, to seek it. My experience from listening to people who have accessed it is that when the CAMHS system works, it works exceptionally well. It saves lives, both in terms of physical lives and in giving new leases of life to those who benefit from the service. However, the counter is also true. When it does not work and it fails children, it has negative life-changing consequences for the rest of their lives.

When we hear that the number of children waiting for an appointment in CAMHS has increased by 86% since this Government took office, with nearly 4,000 waiting for their first appointment, that is deeply concerning. When we hear that 741 people had to present themselves in an emergency room last year, that is a fundamental problem. I welcome that the Government is not opposing the motion tonight. Deputy Ward has set out in the motion the solutions and steps that need to be taken to resolve the issue, to ensure that everybody who experiences the CAMHS system has a positive experience and that their lives are changed for the better. My call on the Ministers of State and the Government is to not just not oppose the motion but to actively support it and, more important, to implement the measures within it.

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