Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Work should have been done on this a long time ago. While regulatory powers are important, material resources are also key. The system that developed in Kerry, not just in south Kerry CAMHS, was a product of pressure, carelessness and a lack of oversight, where medication was the only solution provided, and the psychological therapies and behavioural, developmental and other issues were not focused upon. The persistence of families and young people, many now adults, through the reviews is a case study in dignity and standing up for the right thing. The reports clearly demonstrate the overmedication and inappropriate care that took place in south Kerry between 2016 and 2021. It is worth placing on record the devastating effects, the emotional issues and the physical changes in children's bodies, all compounding the issue faced by one of the most vulnerable cohorts in our society, children with mental health difficulties.

For those in the south Kerry area, the redress scheme has been introduced but I reiterate my call for the scheme to be extended to those who have already received an apology from the HSE. It is totally unfair that they have been excluded from it. Their needs are no less demanding than the needs of the other people in the scheme. It is especially needed for those individuals in order that they can take a case about what happened to them to get justice. They are not wealthy people. Natural justice demands that they are compensated as quickly as possible.

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