Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy knows, children referred to CAMHS by their GPs have to meet a specific threshold. I am delighted to put on record that the waiting list for those accessing CAMHS decreased by 480 last year. There are still approximately 3,700 children on the waiting list. We are working hard across every community healthcare organisation to reduce the list. We have six waiting list initiatives in place. I am delighted to say that in the next few days I will be announcing an additional €10 million in funding for mental health. I will also be providing details on how that is going to be spent. In the context of that €10 million, I have put in place a geographical spread as to where the whole-time-equivalent staff will be put. This is because it is really important that we can secure as many staff as possible in the various areas.

See this speech in context