Deputy.

Deputy Healy-Rae is a full half minute over time.

Everybody please calm down.

We will have to suspend this session if people cannot calm down. I know a number of things were said-----

-----and there will be an opportunity for the Social Democrats to reply at the end of the debate.

The next speaker is the Minister. I apologise, the next speaker is Deputy Pringle.

At a recent meeting of the Joint Committee on Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, we had an opportunity to hear from the incoming chairperson of Oberstown Children Detention Campus, Ms Koulla Yiasouma. I really hope I am pronouncing her name correctly. She comes to the role with a great deal of experience and an extremely positive attitude, and she will be really effective in the role. The committee members hope to visit Oberstown, possibly after the recess. We discussed the fact that children wh…

I commend my colleague Deputy Tully on this. As our spokesperson on disability, she has done huge work in this area. I also acknowledge that the Minister of State is here. I know she is passionate about this as well but we have to highlight when there are failings. As my colleague Deputy Cullinane has said, we have to lay that at the door of the Minister of State and of the Government. In the short time I have, I am going to speak specifically about services for children. A lot of families get to a point where they…

We move to the Labour Party. I call Deputy Sherlock.

I am glad to get the opportunity to speak on this issue. While the evidence in the document is shocking and depressing, for want of a better word, it is important that we have that information and that we now act on that information. I acknowledge some of the steps that have been taken by the Ministers, Deputy Harris and Deputy McEntee. In particular, the Minister, Deputy McEntee, has really taken this on and we were lucky to have her in Kilkenny to visit the Amber Women's Refuge. There is so much that I always wan…

The Deputy is over time.

Next are Deputies Connolly and Joan Collins.

I am absolutely delighted to get the chance to speak on this. I welcome all of the advocates and remind them that today is one of their days and that we are here because of them and because of the work they do. There should be no mistake about that. We are here because of the pressure they, as parents, put on in standing up for their children and because of the help of Senator Seery Kearney, who has guided us all and continues to do so. She is my go-to person whenever I have a question on surrogacy. I note that the…

I thank my colleague, Deputy Cullinane, for allowing me to ask a priority question. I am anxious to get an update on the surrogacy legislation. I mentioned in the previous round of questions to the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth that a great announcement has been made but as he is not the lead Minister, he had limited information. I am anxious to know, as are families, at what stage this legislation is, what the timeframe for it is and when we will see it at the committee.

I am delighted to hear the Minister hopes the Bill will be signed off before the summer recess. That is what we all hope for. The AHR Bill was at pre-legislative stage in 2017, so it preceded the Joint Committee on International Surrogacy by five years. I do not think the Minister was intending to suggest otherwise but surrogacy certainly did not cause the delay to the AHR Bill. I want to make that clear. I am really anxious for parents who are waiting on the retrospective element of this. I had asked the Minister …

I will make two other points. I mention in particular my constituents, Brian and Kathy Egan, from my home town of Callan in County Kilkenny. They are currently in the High Court in relation to this. They are an example of a family who are courageously putting their story out there at a very difficult time in their lives. It shows that not everyone has the time. That is why I will continue to raise this matter at every opportunity. As soon as I know the Bill is with the Joint Committee on Health, I will be on to it …

I am taking this question on behalf of my colleague, Deputy Daly. I ask the Minister of State at the Department of Health what reviews are currently taking place with respect to the north Kerry CAMHS and how they differ from the announced national audit of cases.

As I said, I am asking this question on behalf of my party colleague. The results of the reviews that have so far taken place, whether by the HSE or the Mental Health Commission, are clear that serious lapses in standards of care took place, with devastating consequences for children and teenagers in Kerry and their families. At the time of the publication of the south Kerry look-back review, the Taoiseach admitted it was a serious matter, yet we have seen little progress on the urgent restructuring that is needed …

I thank the Minister of State. I will relay that information to Deputy Daly. Some of it might be new information, not least the reference to meetings she held last week. Deputy Daly made the point that the latest figures show 4,314 children are awaiting CAMHS appointments, 88% of them since the start of 2020. More than 600 of these children have been waiting for more than one year, with the majority in Cork and Kerry. In general in respect of CAMHS, we need a properly staffed CAMHS team to address the waiting lists…

Thank you, Minister.