Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State is welcome to the Chamber. More than 100 children and young adults have been waiting for more than a year for mental health appointments in Limerick and the mid-west, and this is not good enough. I am aware there are many problems recruiting consultant child psychiatrists. While some have been recruited in recent times, there are six teams and they are in the process of developing a seventh but it has not happened to date.

It was reported in the Limerick Postthat 371 children and young adults were awaiting an assessment during the period of June to September 2022, 103 of whom were waiting more than one year. This stark figure is high in a short timespan. The figure represents 9.7% of the overall national waiting list for child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, which stands at approximately 3,800. According to available national figures, this places services in the mid-west as the fifth lowest in terms of waiting numbers. It is more concerning that the region is in fifth place.

Do more programmes need to be brought into schools? How do we begin to address this? It is frightening to find that many children and young adults are on the waiting list while availing of services. I am concerned there are probably more children and young adults not on a waiting list who have not come forward and are experiencing issues. We need to have a wider conversation on this issue. What plans has the Department to introduce programmes into schools and to deal with these people, especially the 100 individuals who are waiting more than one year?