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

Its decision to propose this amendment today tells me that the Government is simply not listening. It is not listening to children who are languishing on mental health waiting lists. It is not listening to children who are waiting for assessments of need. The Government is not listening to children who cannot get special education places. It is not listening to children who are on waiting lists for speech and language therapy. It is not listening to parents who contact my office daily because their children are being failed.

I reiterate that I did not make this debate on spending €9 million on mobile phone pouches about mental health - the Government did. I will remind the Government of its record on mental health. The Government's amendment states it "will build on progress in reducing CAMHS waiting lists". What progress? Since this Government came into office, there has been a 74% increase in the number of young people waiting for a first-time appointment for CAMHS. Today, there are 504 children waiting for over a year for a first-time appointment for CAMHS. That is a 126% increase under this Government's watch. A child in mental health distress has to stay on a waiting list for more than a year before being seen for a first-time appointment. He or she may need to wait for added therapies after that initial wait has come to an end. That is what this Government is presiding over. It is not listening to those people.

Damning reports into CAMHS by Maskey and by the Mental Health Commission found that children are being misdiagnosed, mistreated and lost in the system. There were 72 CAMHS beds when this Government took office in 2020; there are 51 beds open today. It is scandalous that 18,368 children are waiting for an appointment for primary care psychology today. This is a 90% increase under this Government's watch.

The legacy of this Government is one of heartbreak and of children being denied every opportunity to reach their full potential. Can the Government stand over its record? Can it justify to parents spending €9 million on mobile phone pouches? Can it justify not putting this money into vital mental health supports? The Sinn Féin motion represents a key opportunity for this Government to admit its failures and listen to people. It is not the first time the Government has failed to take such an opportunity. A Government that fails to listen to its citizens is a Government that is no longer fit to govern.

Let us get off the fence, stop the charade, call the election and the people judge the Government on its failures in housing, health, the cost of living, mental health and the waste of public money. It is time for change. Sinn Féin is ready, willing and able to deliver the change the Government is incapable of giving.

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