Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

-----and unfortunately it is still going at a very slow pace. In Cork city and county, 336 adults and 921 children and teenagers are currently waiting for mental health services. Some are waiting for 12 months, while some are waiting as much as four or five years. The Minister of State mentioned A Vision for Change. We definitely need to refresh that strategy. There is a recruitment crisis. We have had this over and over again. It is a bloody disaster. It has to be addressed. If we do not have the recruitment issues sorted, nothing will move forward.

I welcome the fact there is ring-fenced money for the Traveller community. I will always give credit where credit is due - I always say that. We do not have to be fighting across the floor all the time. The Minister of State mentioned the investment in mental health and well-being, which is a no-brainer. The fact is there are social and economic benefits to a healthy and happy society so it has to work. It also impacts on young people's development, which cannot be overstated. While we are doing apparently good things within the services, people are still coming to me. It is a long time since I was mental health spokesperson on this side of the House, and I congratulate our new lady beside me, Deputy Clarke, but things have not changed much. We still have the issue of the Owenacurra Centre. How many times have I battled the Minister of State on that? Nothing is happening there. We have lost 21 respite beds in mental health services.

The Minister of State mentioned community-led and community-focused. There is a brilliant place, the Midleton Hub, which is volunteer led, providing fabulous services. I encourage the Minister of State, and we can work together and improve services, to work with everybody and ask the questions. We will probably be able to give her some of the information that will help.

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