Ceisteanna ó na Comhaltaí Eile - Other Members’ Questions
Dail Éireann — 2026-07-16
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Carol Nolan (IND), Offaly

I thank the Tánaiste for his response and assistance. I directly informed the HSE about this situation, and I received an acknowledgement, but I will reach out to the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, and, with the consent of the parent, will pass on all details.
My concern is that this is an emergency situation, and it was not treated as such in Offaly CAMHS. For any parent to be told that they may, or they could, get an appointment at the end of September-early October when their child is clearly in distress is not an emergency response, and it has not been treated as an urgent case.
The Tánaiste made the point that the staffing levels are not up at the national average of 8.9 but I ask that Offaly is prioritised in the upcoming budget in terms of staffing in Offaly CAMHS because I am sure we are going to have more cases like this if we do not act in time and are not proactive. I appreciate the Tánaiste's constructive response and his empathy in relation to this situation.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-07-16/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:52:17+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-07-16