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

I move:

That Dáil Éireann notes: - the wasteful spending of public funds by this Government;

- the exposure of further waste of public money in recent weeks on a €336,000 bike shed and a €1,400,000 security hut; and

- the cost overrun related to modular homes for Ukrainians, and the debacle of the new children's hospital becoming the most expensive in the world; condemns the further wasteful spending announced in Budget 2025 in respect of the allocation of €9,000,000 for phone pouches;

further notes: - that, in her final report on the provision of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in the State, the Inspector of Mental Health Services concluded that she could not provide an assurance to all parents in Ireland that their children have access to a safe, effective and evidence-based mental health service;

- that there are now 3,681 children compared to 2,115 children waiting on a first-time appointment with CAMHS since this Government was formed, and likewise a further 18,368 children waiting for a first-time psychology appointment; and

- that the additional allocation for 2025 for mental health set out in the Government's Budget is an insufficient €16 million; and mandates the Government to end the further waste of public money on mobile phone pouches, reverse that decision and invest this badly needed funding in mental health services and schools.

As the Sinn Féin spokesperson on mental health, the last thing I thought I would be doing is talking about the expenditure of €9 million on phone pouches for children. The Government and the Minister have dressed up this vanity project as a mental health issue. Over the past five years I have had comprehensive engagement with parents, young people, stakeholders and international experts, who inform me on the failures in mental health care and how best they would solve these problems. I can honestly say, with my hand on my heart, that not once did any of these groups ever mention phone pouches.

Let me put this in the context of budget 2025. In budget 2025, the Government announced only €16 million in new measures for mental health. This is nowhere near good enough. Out of the €16 million, less than €3 million was for CAMHS. When we compare that to the €9 million that will be spent on phone pouches, it is a kick in the teeth for the parents of children misdiagnosed, mistreated, and lost in CAMHS, as outlined in the report by Dr. Maskey and the Mental Health Commission. This is also a kick in the teeth for the 3,681 children waiting for their first appointment with CAMHS and the 504 children who are waiting longer than a year for an appointment.

Could the Minister imagine being a child in mental health duress waiting for more than a year? Does she honestly think an amount of less than €3 million can fix the crisis? Does she also think that €9 million on phone pouches is a good investment? What planet is the Government on? The Government must be living in a different reality to parents and children failed by the State.

Families for Reform of CAMHS, which has more than 1,200 members, has stated that the decision to dress up phone pouches as mental health support is incredibly triggering. It went on to say that it encapsulates the level of disingenuousness and gaslighting it has found itself constantly up against in the past 18 months since it was formed. The group was formed out of desperation because of the lack of services for their children. Its response came on foot of a Fianna Fáil video that said you should never play politics with the mental health of young people. That is an indication of the neck of this Government. That is exactly what it has done. This is not a game. Children's lives are at stake here. The ability of a child to reach their full potential is at stake. Dressing up a vanity project as a mental health support is disingenuous.

Spending €9 million on phone pouches is another example of a culture of wasting public money by this Government. The waste of taxpayers' money by this Government is indefensible. The latest splurge comes on the back of the most expensive hospital in the world, costing upwards of €2.2 billion; the €336,000 bike shed; the €1.4 million security hut; and the €442,000 forked out for modular homes that were supposed to cost €200,000. This week I also found out that the HSE was fined €4.3 million for not paying bills on time. That is without even mentioning the €14 billion in Apple tax payments the Government did not want in the first place. You could not make it up.

Today, the Government has a chance to do the right thing. It has a chance to rectify its mistake of spending €9 million on phone pouches. It also has a chance to put the €9 million into proper mental health supports for our most vulnerable citizens. That is what real leaders would do. That is what a real Government that is in touch with ordinary workers and families would do. Will the Minister withdraw her amendment and support Sinn Féin's motion, which mandates the Government to end the further waste of public money on mobile phone pouches? I call on the Government to reverse that decision and invest the badly needed sum of €9 million in funding in mental health services and schools. That would see our children being given every single chance to reach their full potential.

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