Robert O'Donoghue (Dublin Fingal West, Labour)
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765. To ask the Minister for Health whether a publicly available progress summary covering some or all of the 49 recommendations made in the independent review of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services since it was published in July 2023 exists; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15403/25]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The Government and I remain fully committed to the development of all aspects of Mental Health services nationally, including those for children and young people. This is being progressed under implementation of our mental health policy Sharing the Vision and our suicide reduction policy Connecting for Life and has been underpinned by significant new development funding provided by Government over recent years, including under Budget 2025.

The new Child and Youth Mental Health Office that I established in the HSE provides an additional focus to improve leadership, operational oversight, and management of all Youth Mental Health care. The HSE has taken account of the various recent reports and audits on CAMHS and has developed a new Child and Youth Mental Health Action Plan, which was published on 17 February 2025. This includes progressing, as appropriate, relevant recommendations of the Maskey Report, and the Mental Health Commission Report, to improve CAMHS care nationally.

This ambitious new Action Plan, which has been published on the HSE website, will deliver services which are safer, effective, easier to access and which offers appropriate support at all levels when needed. The three-year Plan sets out a clear roadmap to ensure children and families have equitable and timely access to high-quality mental health care, including better links with Primary Care and Disability Services, and greater use of e-mental health responses.

As is the case with the thematic reports regularly produced by the Mental Health Commission over recent years, including that relating to CAMHS in 2023, no specific mechanisms of the type raised by the Deputy are subsequently or routinely put in place. However, the recommendations arising from all such reports are given full and proper consideration by the Department of Health, and the HSE, with a view to developing the best possible services for Mental Health. Both I and officials in my Department are assured that the recommendations raised by the Commission in their report are receiving appropriate attention by the HSE, and have been used to inform the current Action Plan.

It is the role of the Department of Health to ensure that key performance metrics for HSE services are met, that investment is prioritised and used for agreed service developments, and that policy recommendations are reviewed and enacted as appropriate. The functions of the Commission, as set out in Section 33 of the Mental Health Act, do not include a function to oversee or monitor the performance of the HSE outside of services registered as approved centres, nor do they grant an implementation function on the Commission.

The Deputy can rest assured that I will continue to work closely with the HSE, the Mental Health Commission and all other relevant agencies to improve our Youth Mental Health services nationally.