Maire Devine (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State has given the same reply as that given by his colleague, the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Finian McGrath, the last evening. I implore the Minister of State to, please, change his script and find a way to resolve the matter. He has mentioned that a "small number" of young people are involved. The CAMHS service covers a region with a population of 420,000, yet only 45 young people are treated annually, while waiting times, as we know, are off the Richter scale.

I welcome the recent announcement of ten new posts of advanced nurse practitioners. I plead with the Minister of State to listen to me. The unit's team provided a solution. Superficially, it was accepted by the senior management team, but, sadly, a week later it reneged on the offer and the unit's team was told not to ask questions, to close the doors within a week and not tell the parents. Management did not consult the staff. We need to change that script in that regard. A solution was provided this year, just as it was last year, but it was not taken on board. As legislators, we cannot stand by as children's health is at risk. Therefore, we need to show leadership by saying to the HSE senior management team that the closure will not happen and asking why it did not talk to us beforehand.

The Joint Committee on Future of Mental Health Care will continue to pursue this matter. The HSE turned down an invitation to appear before the committee today after initially accepting it to give its version of events which is the same as that of the Minister of State. I urge him to find out more about the matter and not accept the HSE's bland excuses about staff shortages because they fly in the face of the evidence that I have in my possession.