Some of the Deputy's information is inaccurate. I have put a major focus on eating disorders. Just to be clear, no child under 18 has had to have treatment abroad since 2019. This is because we now have-----
On prevailing side: this member voted with the winning side in 1,087 of 1,098 decisive votes (3 abstentions excluded). Read it as a government-or-opposition indicator rather than a measure of influence — the figure is near 100% for members supporting the government of the day and near 0% for those opposing it.
This is the point of the site: contributions keep the party held on the day, not the one held now.
| Party | Recorded as | Contributions | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| FF | Fianna Fáil | 2,782 | 2020-02-20 – 2026-09-30 |
| CC | Ceann Comhairle / Chair | 17 | 2020-06-04 – 2020-06-27 |
Membership spells on record: FF 2016-03-10–2020-01-14 · FF 2020-02-08–2024-11-08 · FF 2024-11-29–present
Some of the Deputy's information is inaccurate. I have put a major focus on eating disorders. Just to be clear, no child under 18 has had to have treatment abroad since 2019. This is because we now have-----
Please let me answer. We now have the nasogastric tube feeding, which is available in the Eist Linn centre in Cork, in the Linn Dara unit and in Merlin Park. Unfortunately, this is a feature associated with an eating disorder, but we do have this provision. For the past six years, we have spent €1 million annually treating some very complex cases abroad. We also spend money every year on supporting adults with eating disorders in private facilities in Ireland. This is a fact. In relation to the beds issue, I had a …
Many people choose to use the treatment abroad scheme themselves. They actually choose to use it. We have to be fair. People do choose to use the treatment abroad scheme.
I am expecting-----
Does the Deputy want me to answer her question or does she want to heckle me? It is up to her.
I expect to receive a plan from the HSE regarding future eating disorder bed provision very shortly. Yesterday, I met Dr. Michelle Clifford, clinical lead, and Dr. Amir Niazi, national clinical adviser and, on Monday, I met Bernard Gloster, the CEO of the HSE, to discuss this specific issue. I have had four priorities since I was reappointed. I thank the Minister for my delegated functions this week. These priorities include the CAMHS waiting list, the adult beds and the Mental Health Bill 2024, which I hope to bri…
I thank the Deputy for his question and for his clarification. Can I clarify the question number?
The question relates to the mental health intellectual disability teams, which are different from other teams because they are very small. There may be nine or ten people on an eating disorder or CAMHS multidisciplinary team, for example, but mental health intellectual disability teams can normally, believe it or not, be made up of just one person and some staff to support them. I am disappointed to hear that the person referred to by the Deputy left after a week. This is part of the clinical programmes under CAMHS…
Did that child have an intellectual disability as well?
The Deputy is saying "There is no CAMHS service", but that is factually incorrect. There were 223,000 appointments last year for children-----
No, no. To be fair, there were 223,000 appointments for young people with CAMHS last year. Some people who are receiving the support of CAMHS can be in CAMHS for up to four years, for example, and can be seen on a two-weekly basis. I cannot comment on that individual case but we are investing €160 million this year in CAMHS. There are over 80 consultant psychiatrists working across CAMHS. I am not saying there are not challenges because there certainly are but we are investing in CAMHS. If the Deputy wants to give …
The Deputy should realise that the clinical lead position is funded and the HSE is currently trying to recruit into it. It is not the case that it is not being funded. The Deputy should not give the impression that we are just leaving one particular area of the country without any support because we are not.
I acknowledge the Deputy's role, and that of Deputy Lowry and other colleagues, in raising the issues regarding Jigsaw. We established Jigsaw in Thurles and a commitment was given to extend a kind of hub-and-spoke model. The mental health budget last year supported Jigsaw to the tune of €14.5 million. It has 70% physical coverage in the country but has 100% online coverage. It has also made some changes to its model of care in how it provides its supports and has been looking at all its organisational roles to see …
I met the head of estates for Dublin south east which covers our particular area during the week on all things related to estates in that area. We discussed three primary care centres and Gorey was one, as well as another in Lismore in my area. It is going out to tender in the first quarter of this year. The Deputy is right about the model that is being used to do this. With the previous tender that was in place, the developer withdrew from it and therefore progress was lost, but it is going out to tender in the fi…
I move: Tuesday's business shall be Statements on Policing and Community Safety (to adjourn after 2 hours). Tuesday's private members' business shall be the Motion re Guaranteeing Right to Education in Irish to All, selected by Sinn Féin. Wednesday's business shall be: - Statements on Policing and Community Safety (resumed) (not to exceed 1 hour and 32 minutes) - Statements on the Irish Language to mark Seachtain na Gaeilge (to be taken no earlier than 3.45 p.m. and to conclude within 2 hours and 25 minutes) - Fina…
As Minister of State with responsibility for mental health, I will respond. I met with members of SOSAD Ireland before the election, when they expressed their concerns about keeping the doors open. I acknowledged that the organisation does a huge amount of very good counselling work in the different regions Deputies represent. There has been constant engagement with SOSAD Ireland following the election and since I have been back in my role. I was disappointed initially that it took quite a while for the HSE to enga…
I accept the organisation has challenges.
It was already done.
Yes.
The exact information requested by the Deputy is not available. The labour force survey, LFS, carried out by the CSO, is the official source of estimates of employment in the State. The most recent figures available are for the fourth quarter of 2024. The figures for this response use the second quarter as the reference period for the year. Due to the methodology and sample size of the survey, it is not possible to produce reliable county estimates from the LFS. Regional estimates of employment are produced at the …