Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We broadly support the Non-Use of Motor Vehicles Bill 2013. I note the precedent last week whereby all Stages of a Bill were ordered. I ask why this Bill is being considered in all Stages. More important, I note that on Thursday the Leader proposes taking all Stages of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill. He is proposing to deal with all Stages of two Bills in one week. We will oppose the Order of Business on this basis and not because we are opposed to the Bill. The precedent and the practice of putting Bills through the House in all Stages is not good. In advance of Thursday, I ask the Leader to consider scheduling that very important Bill differently in order to allow time between Stages to facilitate the tabling of amendments.

On a number of occasions I have raised with the Leader the state of adult mental health services in this country and he has been kind enough to be positive in his replies. These services are in crisis. I welcomed the Leader's announcement last week of a debate and his suggestion that a public consultation could be carried out on the subject of adult mental health services. The Seanad could be used very well in that regard. I wish to highlight an example of what is happening in the mental health services today as we sit here. A doctor on the north side of Dublin referred a patient with mental health issues who required psychiatric attention to Beaumont Hospital. The doctor received a letter from the hospital which states, "With reference to your referral for the above gentleman, please be advised that it would be more suitable for this gentleman to attend his local community mental health team." That is fine and I have no issue with that. However, when he was referred to the community team, a standard letter came back to the GP referring to the patient who is in urgent need of psychiatric care and attention: "I wish to acknowledge receipt of primary care psychology referral for the following client. Due to the moratorium on staff recruitment in Dublin north east, we are regrettably unable to accept the above referral or any further primary care psychology referrals until further notice." I ask if we are really serious about tackling this issue. I have raised the situation in the north east of Dublin where one of the main adult mental health community teams servicing 78,000 people does not even have the proper physical infrastructure and cannot even accommodate its own team. No advice or notice was given to clients that the centres were being moved. I have raised this matter consistently. This is one example of many and no one would agree that this is an acceptable type of care. The HSE is saying to the GP, "Sorry, we cannot help your client due to the moratorium, full stop. Now go away and leave us alone."

That is not the way we should treat people. If we are serious about mental health issues and tackling the plague of suicide, that is not the way people should be dealt with. I know the Leader would agree with me on this and I ask him, on the basis of this example and the many others I could give, that we urgently ask the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, to come to the House for a debate and follow it with public consultation in which Senators could engage with the experts in these areas. The Seanad could do a very good job in that regard.