Mary White (Fianna Fail)

I wish to refer to the matter that Senator McFadden raised. According to today's Irish Independent , "Childline dealt with almost 300,000 calls from children last year — but another 300,000 went unanswered due to lack of funding ... more than 25,000 of the calls were from children looking for help on issues relating to abuse, violence and mental health". The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children said yesterday that an out-of-hours service is vital.

In my newsletter to county councillors of January 2008, I called for the urgent implementation of the proposals by the Health Service Executive for a 24 hour a day, seven day a week call service with nurses and psychiatrists available. Every county in Ireland should be linked to this centralised service. The Minister for Health and Children should provide funding for the HSE proposals that are on the table. Every child in Ireland should have access to help from nurses and psychiatrists around the clock, and on Saturdays and Sundays. It is a matter of urgency that we look after our children and that funding to do that is put on the table.