Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I would like to echo the words of the Ceann Comhairle in respect of Deputy Collins. It is very true and important.

I thank the Minister of State for the opportunity to speak to her on the Bill and I thank Deputy Ward for tabling it. I fully support this legislation for the regulation and reform of CAMHS under the Mental Health Act 2001. I am extremely disappointed with the Government's amendment, which, as other speakers have outlined, is to delay the second reading of this Bill by nine months, which effectively delays it until after the election. Basically, rather than vote it down, the Government has delayed it for nine months in this way.

The Government has said it is currently drafting its own legislation to regulate community mental health services, including CAMHS, but given the urgency of this issue, we cannot afford to wait. Action is needed now. The immediate reform of CAMHS structures and the independent regulation of CAMHS by the Mental Health Commission should be given the Government's top priority. I wonder where the Government's Bill is. Maybe the Minister of State could outline when we can expect to see it in the House, so we can see whether there is a chance of it actually being passed before the Government falls.

As we know, the Children's Rights Alliance published its annual report card last week, which examined the Government on promises and commitments made to children in Ireland. It is absolutely unacceptable to see an E grade for the third year in a row in respect of children's mental health. It gave such a low grade due to the unacceptable rise in waiting lists for CAMHS and the continued practice of admitting children to adult psychiatric units. Despite the Government's prior commitment to ending the admission of children to adult psychiatric units, 12 children were admitted to adult units last year. While that is a reduction, it is still unacceptable that it is continuing. It is a completely unacceptable practice and means that children are not getting the necessary care they require.

Figures for first-time appointments for CAMHS are rising exponentially, increasing past 4,400 in 2023. This cannot be allowed to continue. It is clear that urgent action is needed before the crisis gets even more out of control. The State is failing children and will continue to fail them even more if it does not get a handle on the crisis soon.

The unacceptable postcode lottery of care also continues, with certain counties receiving far lower quality of care than others. This is particularly the case in rural counties. Last year, it was found that CHO 1, which includes my constituency, Donegal, had the fifth highest waiting list for CAMHS in the country, with a total of 367 young people on waiting lists. I have been contacted by a parent in Donegal who has been seeking urgent services for her young child for a year and has been waiting for a first appointment with CAMHS for months. It should never be the case that a child is forced to wait this long for a vital service. It should never be the case that parents are left without the option of getting the child the help they need. This can be particularly frustrating for families in rural Ireland, for whom many services are inaccessible. Concerned parents and guardians in Donegal and throughout the country are doing all they can to secure vital services for the children who need them.

When a place has been secured, many families in Donegal are then faced with the issue of getting to these services. Consideration has to be given to those who are unable to travel. Rural service users suffer because of this. This has become even more concerning recently with the announcement last month that Donegal's only child and adolescent counselling service has been forced to close. This news has sent shockwaves through many Donegal communities and has caused significant stress and worry among young service users and their families. The child and adolescent counselling service had grown significantly in our county, with more than 15,000 counselling sessions delivered by 26 counsellors across seven outreach centres in the past six years alone.

The fact that so many children across the county are now being stripped of this vital service because of a lack of funding, with basically one position to manage it, is an absolute disgrace. Some 120 children who were receiving counselling in Donegal are now left in the dark with nowhere to turn, with more than 350 people on waiting lists for this service also affected. The demand for the service was already far more than could be provided for, yet the service was still forced to close, putting further strain on other service providers. The reality is that many of these children will not be able to access the service that they need now, which is an absolute shame. This will negatively affected so many families in Donegal while the Government continues to turn a blind eye to these families and the essential need for mental health services for young people.

We are already failing young people in this country in so many ways and to not provide an adequate mental health service will have a devastating effect on many young lives. That is the difference we are making. Intervention when people are young is a timely intervention. It is an intervention that will save money in the long run. Not only this Government but all Governments talk about how much it costs.

When you look at the cost of not doing it, the cost is insignificant. That is the reality. I know there is difficulty getting adequately qualified professionals, but that needs to be stepped up. They need to be targeted in other countries and brought here to work. That is an idea of immigration that works for the benefit of Irish society, and is vitally important. That will make a difference to people's lives and will save money in the long run. That is what we need to be looking at. That is the way things need to be looked at. It sticks in people's craw to see so much money put aside by the Government, which it has not budgeted for. However, you see services crumbling and the only service for young people in Donegal has had to close for lack of funding of between €40,000 and €50,000 to employ one person to co-ordinate the whole thing. That is the kind of stuff that should not be happening and it should not happen in this day and age. There is no justification for it to happen. Cost is not an issue at the moment.

I know the Minister of State knows this, but some of her Government partners and maybe the Minister for Finance do not seem to know it. Spending money now will save money in the future. That makes a difference and that should be enough. I know the Government and the Department of Finance decides everything on how the spending of money looks. Investment now will save in the future. That is bound to be good and is bound to make sense.

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