Maire Devine (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Last night Sinn Féin tabled a motion in the Dáil seeking all-party support for the provision of 24/7 mental crisis intervention services without delay. This issue is not about party political lines and is certainly not an issue for scoring political points. Our families and communities cannot wait for this service any longer. We have spoken and spoken and spoken ad nauseamon this issue and for far too long. The stark reality of the non-provision of this service is that our citizens, in every town, village and city across the State, are taking their lives and there simply is not an adequate 24/7 support service to help these people, who present at all times of the day or night, to deal with their suicidal thoughts and with the unbearable mental anguish they suffer. Both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil put forward amendments to Sinn Féin's motion. The Fine Gael amendment notes the need for a 24-hour service but provides no meaningful commitment. It also commits to increasing investment.