Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have raised many times in this House the number of children in my constituency of Roscommon-Galway who are on waiting lists for therapies and psychology services. It is very clear, right around the country, that the numbers are getting worse and the waiting lists are getting longer. Children and others on whatever lists they are on - and there are many - are waiting longer and longer and suffering as a result.

I must mention the children's disability network teams, which are also referred to in the motion. Many CDNTs are not fully staffed. The message I have got from parents across Roscommon and Galway is that since the model changed to the CDNTs, children who were getting some level of support from the Brothers of Charity and others are not getting any supports at all, and they are regressing. It is very difficult for parents to watch their children regress when there is nothing they can do to help them to get the basic supports they should be able to get.

In the short time I have, I will refer to the latest figures I received on primary care in Roscommon and Galway. Care in the community is also very important for young people and children. I raised this matter with the Taoiseach two weeks ago but to the Government it is as if these are just numbers because nothing changes. In County Galway alone, there are 769 children waiting to see a psychologist. Those children, who are listed as high priority, wait over one year to be seen by a psychologist. That is absolutely shameful. Children described as "generic referrals" will wait up to four years to see a psychologist. It is a disgrace that a child who needs to see psychologist must wait up to four years. It is a scandal and a shame on this Government.

Children who are turning 18 and coming off the lists get no support at all.

I have been dealing with the case of a child in Roscommon–Galway who cannot get the help she needs. She has just turned 18. The Government has not funded the roll-out of the national clinical programme for ADHD in adults, so she has been asked to see whether she can go private. Of course, the parents cannot do that. Many children, parents and families are being really let down and failed by the Government. One need look no further than the budget to see this failure.

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