Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Since the Maskey report was published, the emphasis has been on Kerry, and rightly so, given the chronic mistreatment of children there. Deputy Funchion cited figures from February but they have increased again since March. I have figures to hand that show the national figures in CAMHS increased by a further 3% between February and March. A total of 4,434 children are waiting for a first appointment, while 682 have been waiting for more than a year. CHO 4, where the emphasis should have been, has the longest waiting list. When the Maskey report was published, 764 children were waiting for a first appointment, whereas that figure is now 888. Some 343 of these children in CHO 4 have been waiting for more than a year, amounting to 50% of the national total in that one CHO area.

I raised this issue yesterday with the Minister for Health at a meeting of the Joint Committee on Health and he indicated he would refer it to the Minister of State. If I am being realistic, I know I am not going to get that answer straightaway, so I will not put her on the spot, but I will ask her the same question I asked the Minister yesterday. What is being done to address this? The figures do not lie. The waiting lists are going up and up and CHO 4 seems to be an outlier in the context of these bad figures.

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