Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach. There is an issue that affects staffing and it is cross-sectoral. I am sure the Senator is well aware of the staffing issues, as she is very close to the staff. Therefore, she understands the issues and the challenges. However, I must view the issue at a policy level and identify the challenges at a national level.

The day programme has been suspended temporarily for the summer months in order to accommodate and ensure continuity of inpatient and community services. It is very important that best use be made of the available resources. I support the HSE in its efforts to widen the scope of the service and ensure it will continue. I understand the number of children impacted on by the change to the day programme is fewer than three. When I say impacted on, I use the them carefully because the children concerned continue to avail of services in their communities. The community CAMHS teams are delivering the services as opposed to the day programme run by Linn Dara.

CAMHS has grown exponentially in the past few years. The amount of money the State and the Government have put into developing it is astounding. We have moved from a situation where 20,000 people were in institutional residential care during the 1960s to one where the number is just 1,000 people. We have done so by building community teams and developing and growing CAMHS. I, therefore, ask the Senator to withdraw her remark that attempts are being made to dismantle the service brick by brick because nothing could be further from the truth.