John Gilroy (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I have been a consistent critic of our mental health services in a low key manner over recent years. I am highly conscious of the fact that it is not in anybody's interests to be shouting or scoring political points on this. However, there is a serious problem in the mental health services, and we can cite the situation Senator Bacik raised.

Senator Darragh O'Brien talks constantly about lack of resources and chaotic mental health service delivery in north Dublin. We see what is happening in Galway. Senator Cullinane is quite right to highlight the problem of 14 consultants who have expressed no confidence in the mental health services in the Carlow-Kilkenny area. A total of 90 children were admitted to adult psychiatric wards last year, which is a scandal. I recently heard of a 13 year old boy suffering from an acute disorder. His family approached me to help and I was told it would be eight months before he could be assessed.

This is not a resource problem. We can put as many resources as we want into trying to address this problem but we will not do it. We have more or less closed the large psychiatric institutions and moved treatment into the community, but we have not moved our attitude to the delivery of mental health services in the community. Would it be possible, after we resume in the autumn session, to have a comprehensive debate on mental health policy and how it is delivered? I ask for it to be held in the autumn to allow the House to equip itself fully with the facts of the situation as opposed to anecdotes which we can all quote.