Paudie Coffey (Fine Gael)

The net result of the litany of waste relating to many State organisations such as the HSE is that services cannot be accessed by the most vulnerable who need them. An example of this is the fact that cystic fibrosis sufferers have been promised adequate facilities, on a national basis, to meet their needs. The Government and the HSE have consistently failed to meet those needs. It is a matter of getting our priorities right, of tackling the waste to which I refer and of holding the relevant organisations to account. We must also have a Minister who can be held to account.

A matter of extreme concern arose at the weekend, when four teenagers, one of whom is only 14, were admitted to the adult psychiatric facility in Waterford. This is an indictment of the health service. A great deal is said about A Vision for Change and the mental health services. How have we arrived at a situation in 2010 where a 14 year old is held at an adult psychiatric facility? What happened at the weekend was wholly inappropriate and is in complete contravention of the policies adopted by the Department of Health and Children and the HSE. How was this allowed to happen? The Minister for Health and Children should come to the House to provide answers.

Agencies such as Barnardos and the Psychiatric Nurses Association are very frustrated because their members are doing their best on the front line but are not in a position to provide the services required by the most vulnerable in society. This is a direct result of the litany of waste that bedevils the HSE. There is a need for an urgent debate on this matter and the Minister for Health and Children must come to the House to account for what is happening.