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

The Taoiseach mentioned well-being and I want to talk about the well-being of children in mental health services. When the Government came into office, 2,112 children were waiting for a first-time appointment with the child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS. Currently, there is an all-time record high of 4,434 young children waiting for a first-time appointment. That is a 110% increase on the Taoiseach's watch. What is worse, 682 children are waiting more than a year for an appointment. That is a 215% increase under this Government. They say early intervention is key. This is on top of 11,000 children who are waiting for primary care psychology and also children waiting up to 30 weeks for an appointment with Jigsaw. The statistics do not lie. The Ombudsman for Children, Dr. Niall Muldoon, called the investment into CAMHS as an insult to our children. We have numerous reports into the mistreatment and over medication of children in CAMHS. I put it to the Taoiseach that the Government has been a complete failure when it comes to children's mental health and I want to know what the Taoiseach will do about this.

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