Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)

Amendment No. 32 has been ruled out of order on the basis that it could potentially impose a charge on the Revenue, which I find quite flippant seeing as it would actually redirect funding into a CAMHS bed. The Minister of State spoke of not wanting to tie the hands of a consultant who is in a very difficult situation behind his or her back. Nobody wants to do that. However, this is actually in breach of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. That is a fact. It is also a fact that the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has been very critical of Ireland for placing children into adult psychiatric units. I fundamentally believe that there is a pathway to solving this problem. However, if that means we take another ten years to get down to zero, I do not agree with that at all. I think that is absolutely deplorable. Is two better than five? Yes, of course it is. You know what is even better? Zero. Zero would be better.

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