Catherine Ardagh (Dublin South Central, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Minister of State for her response. I must respectfully state that the situation with this centre is now urgent. The suggestion that the centre should be a section 39 agency is understood but the process for becoming a recognised section 39 funded body is opaque, lengthy and deeply under-resourced. In the meantime, the centre is expected to maintain 3,000 units of counselling per year with only one salaried staff and the rest of the team working voluntarily. I am asking for interim financial support or at the very least a departmental liaison to be assigned to assist the centre in preparing and progressing its section 39 application. It cannot do this alone, especially without the stability of short-term funding.

I urge the Department to not treat this a box-ticking funding issue, but as a public health concern. The Loreto Centre Crumlin is an early intervention service that prevents more serious mental health crises from developing and it does so in an exceptionally efficient manner.

I again invite the Minister of State to visit the centre. She will see that the value of its work speaks for itself.

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