Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

-----there were ten patients, compared with 13. I quote from the report, which states, "The difference between the number of the waiting list for South Wexford (10) and North Wexford (99) and between Tipperary team 1 (68) and Tipperary Team 2 (8) shows an inequality of access to CAMHS services dependent on where the child lives (even within the same county) and requires urgent investigation and remedy." CHO 5, as the Minister of State knows, already has the second-lowest funding per capita across all CHO areas for CAMHS. This has been an ongoing problem. I do not accept that a child or young person should lose out on access to CAMHS because of their Eircode.

I know a new CAMHS team is being recruited for north Wexford. There is still no premises for that CAMHS team. I have spoken with CHO 5 and engaged with potential property owners to help them. There are many people in the Gorey and north Wexford area who would be more than willing to assist in finding a premises for this vital service. There is huge goodwill towards it. I cannot get answers from the HSE. The reason I am having to ask the Minister of State directly today is that I keep asking the HSE and I do not get any updates about what happened other than being told the matter is progressing and staff are being recruited. For those children and young people, it is critical that we see this service open as soon as possible. The Minister of State knows, having met most of them, that there are many people who, through voluntary and community work, are providing exceptional services for children and young people and indeed not-so-young people in the area of mental health supports. We need the professional support in the area to reduce the waiting lists and to provide the services.

The Minister of State knows about one of the big issues, which is that all of those working in the local area, including Ray Cullen and the team in Talk to Tom, Patrick Hipwell and George Graham who are involved in See Change, the Wexford Mental Health Association with Alice Doyle, with whom the Minister of State has engaged regularly, Joe and Catriona Dixon in Cycle Against Suicide, and Wexford Macra na Feirme, have identified the question of mental health among young people as one of their top priorities, as has Comhairle na nÓg in County Wexford. No matter how good all the voluntary work that is done in those areas is and no matter how strong a champion the Minister of State is, unless we have the professional support from CAMHS that has been promised being delivered on the ground and the centre opened in Gorey, we will continue to see this problem with waiting lists.