Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation
Dail Éireann — 2026-02-19
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Simon Harris (FG), Wicklow

I thank the Deputy for raising this deeply and profoundly concerning issue. I join with her and everyone in expressing my profound sympathy and thoughts to the children and young people affected, their parents and their families. The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, is in Kerry as we speak and engaging directly. She briefed the Cabinet yesterday on this issue. She will leave no stone unturned in providing support and answers, and in making sure we extend the likes of the existing non-adversarial compensation scheme in place for families impacted by deficits in care. She has directed her Department to engage with the Attorney General's office and the State Claims Agency to progress this.
I will say more broadly, because lots of families are interacting with CAMHS, that it is important to stress the independent national prescribing audit did not identify the fundamental care deficits in Kerry anywhere else nationally. I wanted to say that. I also want to say that a number of improvements to the service have taken place since 2022 in Kerry, including the two teams that are working there. I am also conscious, as the Deputy will be, that a lot of people working today in CAMHS in Kerry are doing a very good job in a very difficult and stressful situation. Once the Minister of State is back from her engagements in Kerry, she will provide further updates on next steps in relation to this.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-19/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:40+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-19