Mental Health Services
Dail Éireann — 2026-02-11
============================================================

Mary Butler (FF), Waterford

Following a national audit of prescribing CAMHS, which we spoke about, where we did a random sample audit of 50 files in the case of every CAMHS team in the country, all 76 of them at the time, concerns were identified in 16 of 50 files reviewed in CAMHS in north Kerry. This prompted a lookback review of all cases open to CAMHS as of 21 November 2022.
My main priority, and this will always remain, is that the children and families will be communicated with throughout the lookback process, which has happened. All families where the potential for harm was identified were invited to open disclosure meetings with the HSE. I reiterate I am speaking about Kerry north now. Apologies were issued and families have been offered supports from a clinical liaison support team.
My Department received the final report over the weekend. I am now reading the report and considering next steps. I want to publish it as soon as possible, being mindful that families need to receive it without delay. Families will receive the report first, after I bring it to Cabinet.
They will not hear it from the media or when they go to their local shop. I am adamant about that. I will work with my Government colleagues, including the Attorney General, to decide the next steps. In response to the Deputy's invitation to me and to the Minister for children, Deputy Foley, I will be visiting Kerry shortly, as soon as I publish the report.

---

Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted.

Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-11/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:02+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-11