Skip to main content
Normal View

Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 27 Jun 2017

Vol. 955 No. 3

Topical Issue Debate

Disposal of Hazardous Waste

I raise the issue of a proposed treatment plant in Warrenpoint harbour which is to be used to store and transfer hazardous waste. The proposal is at planning stage in Northern Ireland. I have been contacted by many residents and businesses in the Omeath, Carlingford and Greenore areas who are greatly concerned at the potential impact of this facility. They have also raised concerns at the manner in which the application is being made and the lack of available information.

The plant has applied for a pollution prevention and control, PPC, permit to operate as a hazardous waste transfer station and bulking facility which will be used to bulk and store both hazardous and non-hazardous materials. It is also proposed to include a chemical treatment plant which will be used for the physico-chemical treatment of waste and the storage of treated effluent waste. The treatment plant, which will be over 1,000 sq. m in size, is by no means a small development. It has been indicated that at any one time the treatment plant will store 200 tonnes of carcinogenic waste, one tonne of readily combustible solids and one tonne of spontaneously combustible solids. The treatment plant has also applied to store five tonnes of quarantined waste for periods of five days at a time.

What worries me most about this proposal is that it appears that no proper assessment has been carried out. There was no impact assessment study in regard to the effects a toxic waste spillage or emission would have on the well being of the residents of the Carlingford Lough area. The company behind the proposal indicated that it is very probable that an accidental spillage may occur as a result of the treatment of hazardous waste at the site. It should also be noted that the proposed location of this plant has been vulnerable to flooding in recent years.

I am amazed that this proposed plant has not received any scrutiny from elected representatives in the North. I represent the people of Louth and they are deeply concerned at this proposal. The proposed plant is within 120 m of residential areas in Omeath yet in the impact statement the proposers of the plant state that the nearest residential area is over 400 m away. This is a very serious issue and one into which we in the South must have an input. It is not good enough simply to ignore the residents and businesses on the southern side of the lough. Millions of euro of taxpayers' money has been invested in the area to boost the tourism sector. In recent weeks it was agreed to extend the Carlingford to Omeath greenway as far as Newry. It should be noted that the proposed treatment plant is within 120 m of the greenway.

The Minister should give a commitment to contact the relevant authorities in Northern Ireland to obtain further information on this proposal and voice his concerns. The people of Louth are too familiar with the effects of living so close to hazardous and dangerous plants. One only has to consider the negative effects the Sellafield plant has had on the region over the past 40 years to realise that. This proposed development is only 120 m from one the most naturally beautiful areas in the region and has the potential to destroy the thriving tourism industry that has been built up in the Carlingford and Omeath region.

Assurances are needed from the Northern authorities that they will engage with residents and businesses in the South in regard to this proposal rather than ignore them. I appreciate that as the Northern Assembly is still not up and running the Minister's job will be more difficult in this regard but I urge him to take all steps possible to, at the very least, stall this process until a full consultation has taken place with residents and businesses in the south of Carlingford Lough.

I thank Deputy Fitzpatrick. The port to which he refers is in County Down, Northern Ireland, and any proposed waste transfer station to be situated there would, as a consequence, be subject to the regulatory controls of that jurisdiction's national waste legislation. Decisions on planning applications for this proposed development would fall to Newry, Mourne and Down District Council. This proposal has been developed to allow black bin waste collected by the council to be subsequently diverted from landfill for processing and treatment. That will involve the removal of recyclable material from the waste with the remainder being shipped for recovery at waste-to-energy facilities abroad. A facility of this nature may require a waste management licence from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, NIEA. Such a licence would have specific conditions attached to it and the facility would be subject to periodic inspections by NIEA, which can also request the production of records concerning the quantity, nature, origin and destination of any waste being held at the site. The NIEA can request those records at any time.

There are well-established structures in existence that provide a forum to deal with a variety of cross-Border issues, including issues of waste management. The North-South Ministerial Council meets in the environmental sector to make decisions on common policies and approaches in a cross-Border context in areas such as environmental protection, pollution, water quality management and waste management and is an effective forum to address waste management issues of mutual concern. However, as the Deputy knows, that council is not currently constituted. It last met in November of 2016. I look forward to its being re-established in the not too distant future, hopefully within the coming weeks, at which stage it can be used to progress this issue.

I thank the Minister for his response. I strongly believe that action is now needed from this side of the Border to at the very least halt this application. The people and businesses in north County Louth are simply being ignored in this process. As I have already stated, the application totally ignores those along the south of the lough when they stated that the nearest residential area was over 400 m away, when in fact the nearest residence is in fact only 120 m away on the southern side of the lough. The fact that the proposed site is vulnerable to flooding and has flooded in recent years is also a major concern. The impact on local flora and fauna must also be examined.

At a meeting with residents last night it was pointed out to me that only 30 years ago there was no life in the lough as a result of raw sewage being pumped directly into it, yet today sea bass, salmon and trout are to be seen regularly. We must also take into account the value of people's homes along the lough, which no doubt will be affected by this proposal.

I am deeply concerned with this proposal and share the worries of the residents and businesses in the region. Tourism plays a vital role in the development of the region and this proposal will have a negative effect. I urge the Minister to contact the relevant authorities in the north and on behalf of the residents and businesses of north Louth and voice in the strongest possible terms their concerns in respect of this proposal.

As the Minister knows, the Northern Ireland Assembly is not functioning at the moment. I met the chamber of commerce and many people in Northern Ireland and helped them to try and sort things out. The people of north Louth are pleading for help. For 40 years we had Sellafield. This is hazardous and toxic. The Minister has spent the last two and a half hours talking about the climate in the Republic. The Good Friday Agreement exists, and I for one would like to see a united Ireland. It is very important that the Minister and his counterpart would have a serious look at this area. There is a serious knock-on of this situation.

I am seeking commitment from the Minister that he will contact his counterpart in the North or someone in the North and please help the people of north Louth who have been seriously affected for the last 40 years by Sellafield.

There is a culture of strong and active co-operation on waste management issues between the relevant authorities on both sides of the Border. As I pointed out earlier, there are well established structures in existence that provide a forum to deal with a variety of cross-Border issues, and I have used these previously to highlight problems being faced by Border counties exposed to the consequences of environmental crime. I believe that the North-South Ministerial Council is the most appropriate forum to address the issues of concern from a waste perspective and I am more than happy to raise the matter at the next meeting of the council, should the Deputy have any further concerns.

I give Deputy Fitzpatrick a commitment that I will make contact with my counterpart. The difficulty is that I do not have a counterpart at the moment. I had a good working relationship with my counterparts over the six months that the North-South Ministerial Council was in place, and I look forward to working with them once the Government in Northern Ireland is re-established.

Electricity Transmission Network

I spoke briefly to the Minister last Thursday about the unauthorised development by EirGrid of an electricity substation and electricity lines at Coolnabacca, County Laois. It is not just a question of a breach of planning laws. This is a situation where the actions of EirGrid have been contemptuous. It has broken the law, disregarded the local community and been dishonest in its public statements. Some of its public statements and published documents are unworthy of a State organisation. I personally believe that some of the documentation it has submitted to An Bord Pleanála is fraudulent. The issue is far more serious than someone commencing work on a project that had planning permission prior to lodging a commencement notice. It says in the public statement that it commenced work on the site prior to discharging some of its conditions, and that the works are approved by An Bord Pleanála. That is simply untrue. I am not permitted to describe it with the appropriate three-letter word.

This is an area where planning was granted as a result of An Bord Pleanála carrying out an appropriate assessment. That means that if one breaches the planning laws and conditions one cannot go back for retention. There is no option for An Bord Pleanála to ignore this issue. It has ignored the construction management plan that it should have submitted to Laois County Council. It has ignored the condition dealing with the national parks and wildlife and the conditions applicable to the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. Above all, it has now submitted a document to An Bord Pleanála seeking minor alterations. That document is a fraudulent document and should be withdrawn because it makes no reference to the fact that this work has already been completed. It is seeking a minor alteration for something that is already history. That is a fraudulent submission to An Bord Pleanála and it must be asked to withdraw it straight away.

This is the most important issue in the mid-Laois area at the moment. It is a flagrant breach of the planning code by a State company. It has a controversial history. EirGrid started work without having a construction management plan or a commencement notice from the planning authority, which is the local authority, Laois County Council. It started work on it around 17 April. It met the county council on 24 April and was told to cease. It kept working away and bulldozed ahead. It was served with a warning letter from Laois County Council on 30 May, but not the urgent enforcement notice that should have been served on it at the time.

My information is that the environmental impact statement on this project has not been completed. It is sited on a very sensitive aquifer, but An Bord Pleanála, if our information is correct, gave the go-ahead for this project against the advice of the National Parks and Wildlife Service. That has to be clarified. EirGrid cannot go in and recommence this work. Huge work has been carried out already, riding roughshod over the local community.

I met the management of EirGrid last week and put it to them that they had an appalling record on Ratheniska and the valley between Slieve Margy and the Rock of Dunamase and the hills on the other side. It has not been upfront with the local people of Ratheniska and Timahoe. I have requested that it informs us immediately of the full extent of what is planned in that area. It has broken the law and disregarded the planning process. We do not normally raise these things in the Chamber as they are usually left to the planners but the planning process on this project is in tatters. This is a publically owned semi-State company. The Minister is the shareholder. He cannot be a spectator on this and he must hold EirGrid to account. We need accountability from An Bord Pleanála and from EirGrid on this matter.

I thank Deputies Fleming and Stanley for providing me with the opportunity to discuss this significant electricity grid enhancement project. I understand that they have been briefed by both EirGrid and ESB Networks on the matter late last week. I welcome a discussion on the topic, and I believe it to be an example of how important it is for the people of Laois and Kilkenny that their electricity supply is kept up to the expected modern standards, as well as how vigorous our planning system is.

In working towards an ever more efficient, more effective and more economic electricity network, it is necessary to carry out grid refurbishment and enhancement on an ongoing basis. In this, EirGrid and ESB Networks work in close co-operation with the ultimate goal of enhancing the national electricity grid. They work to ensure citizens have ongoing, secure access to electricity via a world class electricity infrastructure that supports Ireland's continued economic development.

The Laois-Kilkenny electricity grid reinforcement project is required to improve the security of electricity supply in the region. This €110 million investment in the area will ensure the electricity network can meet the present and future needs of all users, from homes to farms, and small businesses to industrial customers.

The Coolnabacca electricity station in County Laois is part of this project which was granted planning permission in 2014 by An Bord Pleanála. In April 2017, works started at the Coolnabacca electricity station site. It came to light that the works were proceeding without the planning conditions being discharged by Laois County Council, including the erection of a temporary pylon.

When this issue was brought to my attention by the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Flanagan, I immediately contacted EirGrid pointing out that this was totally unacceptable. Once this oversight was identified I was told that all works ceased on site. No further works will take place until the necessary planning conditions have been agreed in writing with the planning authority, which is Laois County Council. A meeting has been scheduled with the local authority for this Friday, 30 June.

The temporary pylon is required during the construction works to ensure the safety of workers on site and to maintain security of electricity supply as an existing overhead line runs close to the perimeter of the new station. Once the station is built, this temporary pylon and line diversion will be removed. I understand the pylon is on ESB land.

An application has been lodged with An Bord Pleanála for an alteration to the planning permission for this temporary pylon and both EirGrid and ESB Networks are reviewing their processes internally to ensure this does not occur in the future. Since the issue came to light, EirGrid and ESB Networks have been engaging with elected and public representatives locally to keep them informed and up to date with developments.

I publicly invite the Minister to visit the site. The Minister, Deputy Flanagan, may have already invited him personally. The most upsetting point is that EirGrid has made a massive mistake. It knows this mistake cannot be rectified. A construction management plan cannot be submitted in an area covered by an appropriate assessment after work has commenced.

It has been dishonest in its dealings with what it submitted to An Bord Pleanála. It has been dishonest with Laois County Council. I am very concerned that EirGrid has shown a lack of candour in briefing the Minister today with what I would call the harmless response it drafted. We all know it is a big project and that is all the more reason for it to get it right. In its dealings with An Bord Pleanála it is calling this "minor alterations" because it knows that if it asks for retention, which is the reality, there is no provision in law to give retention for works covered by an area that required an appropriate assessment as carried out by An Bord Pleanála. It is telling An Bord Pleanála that works have not even commenced. It is looking for permission to do these proposed works. Everything about its submission is dishonest and fraudulent. It must withdraw from site unilaterally, completely and forever.

The Minister's reply would indicate that EirGrid is telling him that the works being carried out are minor and that there is one temporary pylon. I have photographs that show something completely different. It shows two pylons, a road being constructed and other works being carried out on site. This is a flagrant breach of the planning legislation and shows total disregard for the people of Timahoe and the Ratheniska area.

The question about the environmental impact statement, EIS, needs to be answered. Maybe it has been completed but our information is that it has not been and that planning permission was given despite the concerns of the National Parks and Wildlife Service. The whole project needs to go back to the start because EirGrid has started work and it cannot now simply continue under the present permission. We need answers. We are not dealing with a rogue developer. These are two semi-State companies, owned by us, which are accountable to the Minister, to this House and to the people. I want the Minister to contact An Bord Pleanála.

I welcome the fact the Minister has been in contact with EirGrid but I want him to make close contact with it again on this project to clarify the issue around the aquifer. Like Deputy Fleming, I invite the Minister to meet us on the site. Deputy Fleming, the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, and I met local residents at a packed public meeting a few nights ago in Ratheniska. We may be divided on many things but I do not sense any difference between the three of us, Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil or Sinn Féin, on this issue in the constituency.

I have contacted EirGrid and have spoken to the chief executive of the ESB about this. I will not contact An Bord Pleanála. I cannot and will not do so. The planning process has to go on and I will not interfere with that in any way whatsoever. The Minister, Deputy Flanagan, has spoken very frankly to me about this. There is quite a bit of anger here in the House about it, and I can understand that. It is nothing compared with what I received from the Minister, Deputy Flanagan.

There was a breach of the planning code by a State company and I would expect State companies to comply with the law of the land. Just over 12 months ago, I had an opportunity to address all the energy companies in this country, including the State companies, at an Energy Ireland conference in Croke Park. I made it a point at that conference to say that community had to be at the core of everything that was done, and that there had to be real and genuine engagement with communities throughout the country, with none of the lip service we have seen in the past. I expect the semi-State companies, particularly those under my authority, to have ensured that happened. I will get an opportunity to have a further discussion with them on foot of this and will relay the issues that have been raised in the House. Deputy Fleming is correct. The Minister, Deputy Flanagan, has invited me to visit the site in question, and at the first opportunity I get I will take up his offer.

Will the Minister invite me and Deputy Fleming to the site visit as well?

He will inform us all.

That can be arranged. Everyone will be informed.

Social Welfare Appeals

I thank the Ceann Comhairle's office for affording me the opportunity to raise this sensitive issue in the House. This matter relates to a constituent who was in receipt of jobseeker's allowance and rent support because she is on the housing list. She was also working the maximum hours allowed in part-time employment. This was satisfactory until last February when her health deteriorated and, on receiving a diagnosis which alarmed her, she went to visit her relatives in her homeland.

On her return she was questioned about her circumstances. Her social welfare payments were ceased. Following numerous questions I raised with the relevant section in the Department of Social Protection and parliamentary questions to the then Minister, I was given to understand that her rent would be restored and that three months' rent, including all arrears, would be paid at the same time. That did not happen. Only two months' arrears were paid. She continued to try to recover the payments that had been discontinued. This lady's health is not good. She paid numerous visits to the doctor. There is a doctor's letter on file setting out her vulnerability.

This situation has dragged on for five months, which is unacceptable. The usual appeals process was provided for but the appeal has not taken place. There is a long waiting list. Meanwhile, the lady in question has no payment, a fact of which her landlord has grown tired. The relationship between herself and the landlord has now broken down and a notice to quit has been issued. She will become homeless in the next few days and certainly by the end of the week.

Given the number of times I have raised the issue, the urgency of the situation, the reasonable explanation provided by the woman and the nature of her family circumstances, this is not acceptable. I am very grateful to the Minister of State for coming to the House and I realise the Minister was unable to attend. I have been a long time in the House and a long time dealing with social welfare queries. I even spent a bit of time in the Department. However, I have never come across a situation in which there was such a determination to punish an individual to the extent of making it virtually impossible for that individual to exist. I await the reply. I hope sincerely to hear that the matter has been resolved. Incidentally, I received responses from one or two people who were helpful, one of whom is making a valiant effort to rectify the matter. In the same way I obviously was, however, that person is also being stonewalled. I await the result.

I thank Deputy Durkan for raising this very important matter and I apologise on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Regina Doherty. The person concerned was in receipt of jobseeker's allowance from August 2015 to January 2017 and of rent supplement from May 2015 to January 2017. In January 2017, a review of the jobseeker's allowance claim was instigated on foot of information received by the Department that the person concerned was not residing at the property declared to it. In line with relevant guidelines, this resulted in the suspension of the rent claim. An inspector from the Department met the person concerned who asserted residence at the address. The person could not explain why another resident at the property would have stated otherwise. At the meeting with the inspector, the person confirmed being in receipt of income from self-employment as well as income from part-time employment. Given the level of income declared from the self-employment, together with the other declared income, the means assessment completed in this instance showed that the person concerned had means in excess of the statutory limit for jobseeker's allowance in the circumstances. This means assessment is also used to inform the calculation of rent supplement.

Following this initial meeting, the Department engaged extensively with the person concerned, directly and through Deputy Durkan, to progress the case. These engagements included further meetings with the inspectorate team, correspondence with both the person concerned and Deputy Durkan's office and, most recently, a meeting with the relevant divisional manager. At all times, the Department's focus was on clarifying and verifying the information provided by the person concerned to allow a payment to issue. As the Deputy is aware, having himself attended, a further attempt was made at the most recent meeting organised between the person concerned and officials from the Department to clarify inconsistencies in the information the person concerned had previously submitted. The Department is not satisfied that the person's means have been fully disclosed and, on that basis, the payment was stopped. The decision to stop the payment has been appealed to the social welfare appeals office. I have been advised by the office that an appeals officer has examined the appeal submissions and decided an oral hearing is the most appropriate way to deal with the case. The person concerned will be advised of the details of the oral hearing as soon as arrangements for it can been made.

It is a legal requirement that all tenancies be registered with the Residential Tenancies Board, RTB. While the RTB is precluded from dealing with any dispute relating to a tenancy that might be referred to it by a landlord until such time as a tenancy has been entered onto the RTB's register of tenancies, that does not preclude a tenant from referring matters to the board. Under the current legislation, a landlord seeking to terminate a tenancy in the case of rent arrears must first issue a 14-day warning notice notifying the tenant of the arrears. If the situation is not resolved, he or she may then issue a 28-day notice of termination.

The Deputy will understand that the Department cannot commit to making payments to customers where it has been decided that means have not been disclosed. The same consideration in respect of means also applies to supplementary welfare allowance payments.

I thank the Minister of State for his reply but I must point out that it contains at least three major inaccuracies. I do not for a moment suggest that the Minister of State is the architect of that. However, I attended the relevant meeting and am absolutely convinced as to the entitlements of the applicant. I have no doubt that the manner in which a conclusion was reached in this case was not in accordance with due process and best practice, which is a basic requirement of all social welfare determinations. Due process and natural justice are tests which must apply in all such cases. If they do not, there is a problem and that problem still exists.

As I well know, everything is geared towards waiting until the summer break when there will be no response at all. I am sure the Minister of State is well aware of that in situations such as this. Looking for a lease at this stage is an option that is past its sell-by date. The relationship between the landlord and the tenant has broken down as a result of the absence of payments and four or five months of arrears. I have been looking at situations like this for a long time but I have never seen this kind of attitude develop before. It is necessary to have a very serious look at the manner in which these determinations are being made. I have a separate question on tomorrow's Order Paper seeking to ascertain the methodology and pattern developing in this area.

There is still time to undertake a fair assessment. At least one divisional regional manager made a serious attempt to resolve the problem but I have a funny feeling that person will be stonewalled just as I have been for the past six months.

I am well aware of Deputy Durkan's great record on social welfare and in looking after constituents. I commend him on his dedication and work on this issue. Of course, I take the point that when a health issue is involved, we have to be sensitive. We must also be aware that an oral hearing is on the agenda. Hopefully, the issues the Deputy raises today can be resolved at that stage. The Deputy said there were three major inaccuracies and raised questions of due process, best practice and natural justice. We all support due process. Another complicating issue is the landlord-tenant relationship. The Deputy also referred to the methodology that applied. I will bring all of the issues he raised back to the Minister for Employment and Social Protection and ensure she hears about the facts of the case and the matters and concerns the Deputy raised.

Mental Health Services Provision

I wish the Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, the best of luck in his new role, which will not be an easy one. I will try not to be difficult with him just for today.

A main principle of A Vision for Change is that people seeking mental health care should, where possible, be treated at the earliest opportunity in their own communities on an outpatient basis.

This is about providing the best care while avoiding hospitalisation and repeated admissions in the absence of community structures. It is also a much more efficient and cost-effective model of care for the State. Unfortunately, those community services have not materialised to the level recommended in A Vision for Change and hospital services, which remain far too necessary, have been scaled back for those seeking care and they have been forced to travel across the country. This can be seen in places such as Wexford in particular, where the closure of local beds has led to people having to travel to Waterford for inpatient care. In some cases, this may not be a major journey but for those on the northern edge of the county, it is at least a 90-minute drive and possibly 150 minutes by bus. This is very hard on the families of patients and it also discourages those who need care from seeking it. Consider how, in the midst of suicidal thoughts and a severely low mood, many may feel unworthy of the assistance needed to get them there for care. I have heard countless stories from family members who have had to drive their loved ones up and down the country, particularly in the south east, in order to find somewhere they could receive inpatient care.

In terms of child and adolescent care, only 63 of the minimum 100 beds needed in the State are in place. Children are being turned away from child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, in Cork and across the State because waiting lists are far too long. The inability to provide community care inevitably puts more pressure on the hopelessly inadequate inpatient services. According to the HSE, only 53% of CAMHS whole-time positions are filled at present. Eleven beds at Cherry Orchard Hospital are currently at threat.

While I am on the subject, I also wish to raise the serious concerns for funding for Youth Work Ireland's counselling services in Galway. This is an essential service for young people beginning to experience mental health issues. The service could provide 31 hours of counselling, which is almost double the current hours, to 12 to 21 year olds in local communities such as those in Galway, Ballinasloe, Tuam and Loughrea at an annual cost of just €62,000. However, funding is not stable - not even now. These are the kind of local early intervention services we need investment in.

I take this opportunity to wish the Minister of State well in his new role. I think this is his first performance here.

I thank the Acting Chairman for his good wishes, which are very much appreciated, and I thank Deputy Buckley for his good wishes also. I sincerely look forward to doing the role justice. I hope I will; I certainly will try my very best.

First and foremost, health care is about the individual and individual well-being. In January 2006, the Government adopted the report, as referred to by the Deputy, of the expert group on mental health policy, A Vision for Change, as the basis for the future development of mental health services in Ireland. It advocated a move away from traditional institutionalised care to a patient-centred, flexible and community-based mental health service. It also recommended the organisation of mental health services nationally in catchment areas for populations of between 250,000 and 400,000, with specialist expertise provided by community mental health teams, that is, expanded multidisciplinary teams of clinicians who work together to service the needs of service users across the lifespan.

More than 90% of mental health needs can be successfully treated within a primary care setting, with less than 10% of patients being referred to specialist community-based mental health services. Of this number, approximately 10% are offered inpatient care, with 92% of all admissions being of a voluntary nature.

The spectrum of services provided by the HSE extends from promoting positive mental health through to supporting those experiencing severe and disabling mental illness. These services include specialised secondary care services for children, adolescents and adults. Services are provided in a number of different settings, including the service users' own homes. The service is integrated with primary care, acute hospitals, services for older people and services for people with disabilities and with a wide range of non-health sector partners.

Specialist mental health services provided include acute inpatient units, community-based mental health teams, day hospitals, outpatient clinics, community residential settings, continuing care settings and the national forensic mental health service. Primary care services are usually the first point of contact for individuals presenting with mental health problems directly through their GPs or other health service professionals.

Community mental health teams are the first line of acute secondary mental health care provision. They support individuals in their recovery in their own communities. The community mental health team co-ordinates a range of interventions for individuals in a variety of locations, including home care treatment, day hospital outpatient facilities and inpatient units, and interacts and liaises with specialist catchment or regional services to co-ordinate the care of individuals who require special consideration.

There are 51 HSE approved centres for adults spread across the nine community health care organisations, CHOs. In addition, there are six private approved centres for adults. There are also five CAMHS approved inpatient centres, four in the HSE and one private, that is, Willow Grove at St Patrick’s Hospital.

As well as a primary care GP network, which is often the first point of contact for someone who is experiencing mental health problems, there is a community team network of 119 HSE adult community mental health teams, 64 community CAMHS teams and 29 community teams responsible for older age psychiatry who deliver specialist community-based mental health treatments.

Since 2012, we have provided an additional €140 million for mental health services. This has helped to ensure that patients have access to community services and, in most cases, are not required to travel distances to access these services.

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. He referred to 64 community CAMHS teams. I wonder how many of them are fully staffed. That is one issue I would have. The Sláintecare report was recently debated in the Dáil and while the work involved in producing it was difficult, it was a very good learning experience. We had cross-party agreement on a lot of it. There is a strong emphasis in the report on funding for mental health services as well.

We had raised the €37.5 million extra to be put into mental health services early last year but we did not get the full support. Could we even get a commitment? I know the Minister of State is new to the job. However, we need 24-7 crisis services across the country. The Minister of State has seen it. One of the Wexford county mayors said that it is disgraceful that people have to travel so far when they need immediate help. I do not wish to put the Minister of State in a position but we have to ask the question. Could he make a commitment to go so far as to put in place a pilot system of 24-7 services? We know that it is not a Monday to Friday job; it is the weekends and the out-of-hours. Families are suffering as well as the patients. As I said, if they have to travel from one county to another to access help, we will lose a lot more people in this country. Will the Minister of State please make a commitment to invest in mental health services? I ask him not to let families suffer.

I again thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. The more times this issue is raised in this House and on any other platform where he gets the opportunity to raise it, the more it assists me, the Department and all of us in driving the focus that is necessary in this area. If we went out and asked anyone in our community what is the single most important issue, I think there would be unanimous agreement across the board that mental health is the challenge of our generation. We happen to be the politicians who are populating this space at this point and this is our greatest responsibility. As Minister of State, I have been given the task to see what I can do. However, we all have a role to play.

Deputy Buckley has a lot of experience, passion and commitment in this area. He has already asked me for an early meeting and I hope that we can have one in order that we might discuss some of these matters in more detail and that he can share his wisdom with me and try to guide and direct my efforts within the Department. As we are both Corkmen, I look forward to working collaboratively to ensure that we can try to bring about some achievements, not just for Cork but for the country. We have an understanding which, perhaps, some other fellow county men might not have.

I also agree with the Deputy, and share the view strongly, that people have the right to be treated in their own communities. That is the least we should do. We are trying to retain and build communities and ensure that they prosper. People should be treated there and we should be making effort in that regard.

I am not fully au fait with the issue in the south east. However, there was a request to meet all the elected Members from the south east, particularly those from the Wexford area. We are trying to make that happen this week. I am not sure that it will but it will certainly happen next week. I will get my head around the issues involved in order that we might move forward with the meeting. I know that some of the Members here now are from Wexford.

On the waiting list for CAMHS, the Deputy is right that there is a staffing issue, but I do not accept that it is just about staffing. Nor is it just about resources; it is about a combination of effort and focus and we have to address both.

I do not have a solution for that right now. I will certainly take on board what the Deputy said with regard to Youth Work Ireland. We will mention all of these issues at our upcoming meeting. I will come back to the Deputy with the figures for CAMHS staffing levels.

I cannot give the Deputy a commitment today, as I am sure he will understand, other than to do my very best. I have to get my head around too many issues but I will certainly give the Deputy a commitment to do everything I can. I look forward to working further with the Deputy and I hope he will continue to raise this important issue.

Top
Share