Health Services
Dail Éireann — 2026-03-05
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Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (SF), Cork South-Central

That is a huge number. It is maybe a slight improvement, but very comparable to what was there before. This time last year about 70% of the posts in primary care psychology were absent. That is not in the reply and I am sure the Minister will not have those numbers in front of her. Part of the problem here is that there is a gap in recruitment. My big concern in relation to primary care psychology is us not making the investment there. The threshold to get into CAMHS now is so high because of the pressure it is under. Therefore, people who are at a relatively high level of suicidal ideation, as well as people dealing with things like ADHD, are not being seen quickly enough and their condition is therefore escalating. The other concern I have, potentially, is with people ageing out, that is, people who reach 18 without having been seen.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-03-05/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:44+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-05