John Connolly
Galway West · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“The decision of the Government to purchase the Hammerson site on O'Connell Street - the site of the old Carlton Cinema - clearly shows the intent and determination of the Government to progress and complete the MetroLink project.”
“I mention one such community organisation in my constituency, Connemara Care, which provides home care and support for the elderly, people with disabilities, and people with dementia.”
“I had been aware that the deceased man had been diagnosed with dementia some years earlier. When I expressed my condolences to my friend, his response really struck me. He said that this was the second time they had lost their father.”
“If we can look at training more people in this area and promoting this as a profession, it might help. A concern has been brought to my attention but I do not want to imply wrongdoing on anyone's behalf. A family asked me to get clarity. They were provided with home care hours to be provided by a private company.”
“Families want to support that wish for their own loved ones and I know that across the House, Government and Opposition want to support this. Our health service should be structured to support that. However, in the correspondence that we have received, concerns have emerged regarding the availability of HSE home support services.”
“Cuirfidh mé tús le m'óráid leis an méid ar chríochnaigh an Teachta Aird leis. Molaim an tAire Stáit go bhfuil sé anseo le linn na díospóireachta ar fad. Tá sé anseo ag fanacht. Ní dheachaigh sé amach as an Seomra.”
The complete record
Every one of 425 lines we hold for John Connolly, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 8 of 9.
“The Taoiseach identified the six areas where the Government sees the potential to make the most difference to children living in poverty. One of those mentioned is family homelessness. If the Taoiseach will forgive me, I am going to be parochial on the issue. As the Taoiseach will be aware, the homelessness figures are calculated monthly per region for nine different regions. A consistent statistic is that outside Dublin, the west region has the highest number of child dependants accessing emergency accommodation. This has been consistent for some time. The west region contains counties Galway, Mayo and Roscommon and of these, Galway has the highest number. Data is not available but my expectation is that it is Galway city where most of the families and children in need of emergency accommodation are.”
“The scheme is overly cumbersome from my perspective, as it includes the Department of Transport, NTA, An Taisce, local authorities and schools.”
“Bhí na sluaite amach ar an R336 an Chéadaoin seo caite, agus beidh amárach, ag glacadh páirt i siúlóid agóide mar gheall ar cé chomh contúirteach is atá an bóthar sin agus an easpa muiníne atá ag tuismitheoirí a bpáistí a ligint dul ar scoil ag siúl nó ar rothar. Tá a fhios agam gur faoi dhualgas na comhairle contae atá an tsábháilteacht bóthair, ach ba mhaith liom aird a tharraingt ar an dul chun cinn mall atá déanta againn ar an scéim um bealaí sábháilte chun na scoile. Some 421 schools were included in the original safe routes to school scheme in 2021 and of those 421, only 96 have had work completed on them. This is impeding children who wish to walk or cycle to school safely and the impact of the scheme is not meeting its desire.”
“With regard to climate adaptation measures and the funds and investment necessary to make the country more resilient, the west should be prioritised.”
“We must now try to make sure that the proper infrastructure is in place to ensure the network does not suffer further outages. The public deserves to be reassured by all of these agencies in a public forum that they will all continue to be conscious of the impact another such weather event might have. I advocate for these agencies, including the NECG, to be invited to presented to a Dáil committee, when committees are established, to reassure the public about the future and about their preparations for such events. On the necessity for the nation to be prepared for such events, the west is suffering disproportionately from climate change. We know that. The weather data highlights that. Of the 14 storms of last winter, the west had the highest sustained wind speeds and gust speeds in seven. The impact is greater there.”
“It is difficult for people to believe that in the ten weeks since Storm Éowyn, people are still suffering landline and broadband outages. As my colleagues have said, that is across many parts of the country. We must ask what obligation the companies with whom we entrusted the responsibility for communications infrastructure to the citizens of the State have to the Government and to the people. It seems that some of that responsibility has been lost. There are still locations experiencing residual impact from the level of damage done to the electricity network. In fairness to the ESB, it has engaged with elected representatives around that issue and there has been an acknowledgment that some of the restoration and the remedial work that has been done has been of a stopgap nature.”
“Tá fadhb thithíochta sa tír ach is fadhb ar leith é sa Ghaeltacht nuair atáimid ag iarraidh na ceantair sin ina labhraítear an Ghaeilge faoi láthair a chur chun cinn chun a chinntiú go mbeidh siad fós ann agus buan. Tá an imní sin orm agus teastaíonn tuilleadh infheistíochta. Luaigh mé Éamon Ó Cuív. Nuair a bhí sé mar Aire sa Roinn seo, agus nílim ag cur brú ar an Aire reatha, bhí níos mó airgid aige le caitheamh ar na ceantair Ghaeltachta. Táimid ag tnúth go mór agus ag súil go mbeidh sé mar sin arís agus go mbeidh tuilleadh acmhainní againn sa Roinn seo le caitheamh ar cheantair Ghaeltachta.”
“Aontaím chomh maith le mo chomhghleacaithe as Tír Chonaill os mo chomhair nuair a labhraíonn sé faoi phobal na Gaeilge agus na Gaeltachta. Feicim difríocht mhór idir an dá rud. Táimse dóchasach faoi thodhchaí na teanga. B'fhéidir go bhfuil níos mó daoine ag labhairt Gaeilge anois ná mar a bhí riamh, ó bunaíodh an tír thart ar 100 bliain ó shin. Tá imní orm faoi chúpla ceantar sa Ghaeltacht mar gheall go bhfuil an méid daoine ina gcónaí sna háiteanna sin ag laghdú. Feicim na huimhreacha sna bunscoileanna ann ag laghdú agus tá imní orm gan a dhóthain infheistíochta, tithíochta agus deiseanna oibre go dtiocfaidh laghdú níos mó ar an líon daoine sna ceantair sin. Tá imní orthu do na ceantair sin. Mar atá luaite ag go leor eile, tá fadhb thithíochta sa Ghaeltacht.”
“Mar a luaigh mo chomhghleacaí anseo, is é seo an chéad deis a bhí agamsa labhairt ar phíosa reachtaíochta sa Teach, cé go raibh cuid le rá agam ar ráitis agus ábhair eile. Seo an chéad phíosa reachtaíochta atá deis agam labhairt air, agus cuirim fáilte roimh an mBille. Mar atá ráite ag go leor daoine eile, guím gach rath ar an Aire agus é ag obair air. Gabhaim buíochas chomh maith leis an gcoiste Gaeilge a bhí againn sa Dáil dheireanach as an obair a rinne sé ar an ábhar seo. Aontaím go mór le mo chomhghleacaí trasna an t-urlár uaim agus molaim mo réamhtheachtaí, Éamon Ó Cuív. Rinne sé neart oibre ar an ábhar seo agus ar ábhar na Gaeilge le linn a thréimhse sa Teach. Tá a fhios againn ar fad go raibh ról mór, tábhachtach aige leis an nGaeilge agus an Ghaeltacht.”
“Cé gur mhaith linn níos mó scoileanna lán-Ghaeilge a fheiceáil, tá rogha ag cuid mhaith de thuismitheoirí, mar a dúirt mé cheana. Tá an Ghaeilge bríomhar sna meáin cé gur bhreá linn í a fheiceáil níos bríomhara fós agus go mbeadh tagairt níos minice ar an nGaeilge sna meáin. É sin ráite, níl an mhuinín chéanna agamsa do na ceantracha Gaeltachta. Tá imní orm do chuid de na ceantracha Gaeltachta sa tír. Cloisim go bhfuil líon na ndaltaí sna scoileanna in áiteanna Gaeltachta ag laghdú, agus is ábhar imní é sin. Tá sé ráite ag go leor daoine sa díospóireacht go dtí seo go bhfuil fadhb tithíochta sa Ghaeltacht, agus tá. Is gá dúinn rud éigin a dhéanamh le haghaidh daoine óga atá ag iarraidh fanacht sa Ghaeltacht, teach a thógáil ann agus a gclainne a thógaint ann chomh maith.”
“Agus é luaite, is fíor a rá nach raibh agus nach bhfuil an buiséad céanna ag Roinn na Gaeltachta ó shin, nó nach bhfuil sé ag an leibhéal anois agus a bhí sé nuair a bhí Éamon ann mar Aire Gaeltachta. Tá a fhios agam gur dúshlán mór é don Aire nua, agus guím gach rath air. Is maith an rud é - mar atá ráite ag go leor daoine - go bhfuil Aire sinsearach don Ghaeltacht ann fós agus an dualgas maidir leis an nGaeltacht agus leis an nGaeilge ag Aire sinsearach. Guím gach rath air. Tá a fhios aige gur féidir leis brath orm agus é ag iarraidh chuile rud is féidir leis a dhéanamh chun an Ghaeilge agus an Ghaeltacht a chur chun cinn. Tá mise dóchasach do thodhchaí na teanga. Ceapaim go bhfuil meon níos dearfaí anois faoin dteanga ag an nglúin níos óige.”
“Is maith an rud é go bhfuil an rogha sin ag tuismitheoirí ar nós mise in áiteanna difriúla sa tír faoi láthair. Caithfidh mé mo réamhTheachta Fhianna Fáil do Ghaillimh Thiar a lua. Thug Éamon Ó Cuív an-chúnamh dom le linn m'iarrachtaí polaitiúla. Roinn sé a thaithí liom go minic. Is tearc polaiteoir eile a bhí ann a raibh an tionchar céanna aige ar shaol na Gaeilge nó ar an nGaeltacht sa tír. Déanaim comhghairdeas leis, agus tá súil agam go n-aontaíonn chuile dhuine liom ag déanamh comhghairdis leis agus é ainmnithe mar uachtarán Oireachtas na Samhna agus gradam an uachtaráin buaite aige ag Ard-Fheis Chonradh na Gaeilge i mbliana. Guím gach rath ar Éamon agus é sna róil sin.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis na daoine a thug cúnamh dom le linn an fheachtais, go mór mór mo bhean, mo chlann agus m'iníonacha, ceann acu a bhfuil breithlá aici inniu. Go maire tú an chéad, Lauren, más rud é go bhfuil tú ag éisteacht linn. Tugaim buíochas dóibh agus do mo mháthair. Cuimhním ar m'athair chomh maith. Cé gur tógadh mé ar imeall na Gaeltachta is mó sa tír, ní raibh aon Ghaeilge againn sa bhaile, faraor. Rud a bhí againn, áfach, ná béim láidir ar an oideachas, agus chuaigh mé ar scoil a raibh béim ar an nGaeilge inti ag uair nach raibh Gaelscoileanna sa cheantar nó fiú sa tír ag an tráth sin. Táim fós buíoch de na múinteoirí a bhí agam, mar is ansin a fuair mé bunchloch láidir sa Ghaeilge. Tá deis níos fearr Gaeilge a fhoghlaim ag mo chlann féin mar téann siad ar bhunscoil agus meánscoil lán-Ghaeilge.”
“Tá a lán ráite ag na Teachtaí Ward agus McGuinness atá fíor. Rud a cheap mé féin le píosa ná go bhfuil orainn athrú meon ó thaobh úsáid na Gaeilge a bheith againn sa tír. Is é sin an dúshlán, go bhfuil ar chuile dhuine an méid Gaeilge atá aige nó aici a úsáid chomh minic agus is féidir leis nó leí. Más rud é gur féidir le chuile dhuine é sin a dhéanamh, beidh dul chun cinn mór déanta ó thaobh na Gaeilge agus a húsáid mar ghnáththeanga an phobail. Ní hí seo an chéad deis atá agam cúpla focal a rá sa Teach, ach mothaíonn sé feiliúnach cúpla rud a rá faoin toghchán agus an rath a bhí agam ann. An chéad uair a labhair mé, is ar ábhar na stoirme a bhí sé, agus níor cheap mé ag an tráth sin go raibh sé feiliúnach.”
“That would have a significant impact on school life and enable teachers to place greater focus on the well-being of children, particularly in the younger age groups where teachers play an important role in assessing children's well-being, welfare and educational ability. It is important the committee would focus on that area. I echo the sentiments of my colleague, Deputy Crowe, on the DEIS programme. I welcome the initiative of a DEIS+ programme but we need to look at the assessment of schools for inclusion in the existing programme.”
“I welcome the establishment of the Cabinet committee. It will do important work and no doubt its work will complement that of the child poverty and well-being programme in the Department of the Taoiseach. There has never been a greater awareness of the importance of well-being and wellness in enabling learning and educational progress. I have found in my professional experience that teachers are outstanding advocates for the well-being and welfare of children. I would ask the Cabinet committee to prioritise the reduction in the pupil-teacher ratio. The programme for Government sets out to reduce the ratio from the current 21:1 to 19:1.”
“It was mentioned earlier, and there is credence to the suggestion, that the Department might be somewhat risk averse and not satisfied enough to give the local authorities the funding and let them build without participating in their decision-making process. One place where I would not support the Housing Commission is in respect of the proposal to end the tenant purchase scheme. That is something we should maintain. We should always continue to promote homeownership. There has also been discussion about ending rent pressure zones and a rent reference scheme. One thing that rent should reference is the standard of the private rented accommodation of which a person is availing.”
“The Department claims the length of time for local authorities to draw up the designs for social housing projects and secure Government approval is 59 weeks. I often found it took longer than that. In fact, particularly for affordable housing, it seemed to take much longer than that, which was frustrating. My recollection is that there was a four-step approval process. It was mentioned earlier that the programme for Government commits to establishing a single-step approval process. If we are calling it a single-step process, we should provide a timeline. The Department should be able to turn around a decision on a public housing scheme in a very short period to allow the local authorities to carry on and build it.”
“The Housing Commission also proposes to establish a housing delivery oversight executive. There is a lot going on. There seems to be a lot of different people and groups with different remits. When people hear about these housing bodies, they think solely about housing supply and assume that each of those bodies has some remit in terms of direct supply. It can be difficult to address what each of those bodies does. That goes some way towards the issue we face here. The public wonders how we complicated the home building and housing process. One thing that frustrated me extensively when I was a member of the local authority was the time it took from the concept of a housing scheme to the point of Part 8 planning.”
“I am particularly worried that we are storing up a sense among the young people of the country at the moment that nobody is listening and nobody cares. We may pay a price for that in the future. I welcome, and compliment the Minister for establishing, the strategic housing activation office. However, a number of different bodies and organisations seem to have some remit across the housing sector. The public are becoming a bit frustrated. There might even be a lack of awareness of what each body does. The Minister is going to initiate the strategic housing activation office, which seems a good idea. We also have the Housing Agency, a Cabinet subcommittee on housing, the LDA, all the approved housing bodies, the local authorities, a housing task force in many local authorities and a homelessness task force in many local authorities.”
“The situation is without doubt similar to that in other parts of the country but it is exacerbated in Galway. The most recent monthly figures recorded 227 children in emergency accommodation in Galway. The impact of that goes well beyond the impact of the lack of shelter. There is also the impact on physical health and mental health, school attendance and relationships. Those children are not in a position to feel a part of the community. It is difficult to join the local football club if you are not sure where you are going to spend each night. It is difficult to have social occasions with friends or other members of the community. There are many knock-on impacts of the homelessness and housing crisis.”
“For those who may be waiting for a four-bedroom, the council does not have four-bedroom properties at the moment. Waiting times in that regard will be exacerbated. Another trend I recognise that shows Galway is suffering disproportionately is in the monthly homelessness figures. Galway consistently has the highest number of children in emergency services outside Dublin. The description given in the figures is "the west" but when delving into them, it can be seen that of the three counties in that area, Galway, Mayo and Roscommon, Galway has a significantly higher number of children who must reside in emergency accommodation on a nightly basis. The population of Galway is smaller than some other urban areas but we have this unfortunate and unique position.”
“Like those in every other portfolio and in every other role, I wish the Minister well. I wish every Minister who has some part to play in resolving this issue well. It is our greatest challenge. We have had a number of debates in recent times on the health service and mental health service, and there are significant challenges in all those areas. However, resolving the housing issue will be particularly challenging but it will also have a knock-on effect in improving health outcomes. It is not unjust or unfair to say that. I do not dispute that there is a challenge across the country but Galway is suffering disproportionately in this challenge. At the moment, if people are on the Galway City Council waiting list for a two-bedroom home, their wait will be in excess of a decade. If they get a house within a decade, they will be doing well.”
“We found out earlier this week that the capital oversight board will conclude its work next month and it will present a development plan for the use of the university hospital site from now until 2045. Such times can cause concern. As the Tánaiste will be aware, there are immediate needs. My ask is that the Government would capitalise on the work of the oversight board by providing the necessary resources and actioning the outcome of its work in a time-efficient and determined manner. I specifically ask that progressing the development of a new accident and emergency unit and increased bed capacity would not become entangled in bureaucracy and procedures or frustrate the people and continue to see people receive healthcare in inadequate facilities.”
“The accident and emergency unit at University Hospital Galway has been the subject of much political commentary for many years. Many taoisigh and health Ministers have recognised the facility is not meeting the needs of the large population it is designed to serve and it is of a substandard nature. The Tánaiste will be aware of his own time as Minister for Health. The facility is now in a temporary facility. There have been many false dawns for the progression of a new accident and emergency unit in Galway, most notably in 2019, when, at the point of a planning application, a change in direction for the site was recommended. In autumn 2023, a Galway university hospital capital programme oversight board was established to develop a masterplan for major capital projects on the Galway university hospital site.”
“I know the professional dilemma school principals face when they are also charged with teaching a class. It is an extremely challenging position. Any support we can given to school principals in that position will be most welcome.”
“We all recognise the importance of small schools within communities, particularly in communities that might have suffered the loss of other services. We are all familiar with towns and villages throughout the country that might have lost banking and post office services. There is always an outcry rightly when these things occur but the school should be sacrosanct within that. If we can support those small schools and communities to maintain their operation, it will keep the community vibrant. I also welcome that the Minister outlined some feedback from the schools who operate in this scheme already. Two clusters in County Galway went separately about their business but found advantages through working together on the administrative support found in different aspects of the operation of the schools.”
“Another welcome initiative in the programme for Government is the extension of a pilot scheme that has been running in several smaller schools that have come together to seek the synergy of their operations within the community and how they might get administrative support from the Department. The schools involved in this scheme went about their business in different manners and different schools sought to work together on different aspects. It would be very beneficial, however, if we could come up with a communal way of employing this administrative support and applying it across all small schools.”
“One of the advantages DEIS schools enjoy over non-DEIS schools is the position of the home school community liaison teacher. This is a valuable position that would be valued in any school. The Minister might look at closing the gap between DEIS and non-DEIS schools and providing additional roles. We could arrive at a position whereby a home school liaison officer might work with several non-DEIS schools but it is certainly one of the significant advantages. As I said in my opening remarks, some of the additional benefits of DEIS, such as the free school books and hot school meals schemes, have been extended to all schools, which is very welcome. We can take learnings from DEIS and what has worked well to see if we can extend our resources to apply them to non-DEIS settings.”
“We need to review whether we are fully incorporating and analysing the number of pupils living in direct provision and attending schools, and whether that is fully recognised in the existing DEIS scheme.”
“The Minister's comments on closing the gap between DEIS and non-DEIS schools are interesting because in a number of our schools, the teaching personnel observe a level of disadvantage among pupils that is probably not recognised under the scheme. This is even in terms of how the existing scheme is calculated, for lack of a better term, or how schools are assessed for their inclusion. One aspect schools are finding increasingly puzzling is where there is a high proportion of pupils who may be residing in international protection accommodation services, yet the school is not considered to be of sufficient disadvantage to obtain DEIS status. This is one measure we could look at.”
“The commitment in the programme for Government to establish a new DEIS plus scheme for schools is very welcome. What steps will be taken within the Department to develop that scheme? The existing scheme has been reflected on very positively by both schools and teachers who participate in what are currently considered DEIS schools and it has had independent verification of its success by reports from inspectors, among others. Some of the initiatives in the initial scheme have been extended to all schools, such as the free books and the free hot school meals programmes. What is envisaged in the new scheme?”
“We have had statements in the House in the past week on mental health and disability and tonight's statements on health. In each of those debates and statements there is a recurring theme, which is the challenge of recruiting and retaining staff in the healthcare sector. We hear about the lack of therapists, GPs and other such positions. The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment has advised me that last year, 17,168 critical skills work permits were issued across the employment sector. Some 35% of them, or almost 6,000, were in the health and social work sectors. There is a challenge in us training people to work in our public health sector in Ireland. That must be challenged as well.”
“It is 60 acres. When the decision was made to develop an elective hospital in Galway, the local officials were obliged, I understand, to put out a call to the general public to see what site could be used to develop the hospital. That was a three-to-six month unnecessary process. The State, through the Department of Health, held land. It could have been facilitated. The decision was eventually made that the elective hospital would proceed on the site of Merlin Park University Hospital, which is welcome, but that decision did not need that process and the six-month delay. That is the type of bureaucracy I hope the Minister will challenge. I am confident she will. She will have our support should she proceed to do so. The second topic I will touch on is staffing.”
“She used such terms as outpatient departments, primary care centres, trauma centres, surgical hubs, elective hospitals and increased bed capacity. They are terms we are all familiar with. I have been a member of the regional health forum in the north-west region for the past five years and have heard a lot about this, specifically as they relate to my constituency of Galway West and the development of such facilities. They are all welcome. I welcome the Minister's initiative and her determination to see them through. It can be very frustrating following the processes and bringing these projects to fruition. I saw an example in my constituency when the Government decided to develop an elective hospital in Galway. There is a site in Galway where there is currently a hospital in Merlin Park. I am sure many people are familiar with it.”
“I note an issue mentioned by my colleague across the floor, namely, the objective in the programme for Government to introduce tax credits for those who join gyms. We should not be so narrowly focused in that. If we are to look at it - it would have a lot of public health benefits - we should also look at extending such a break to people and families who enlist their children in their local GAA club, soccer club, rugby club or whatever promotes physical activity. We should not have the narrow focus on gym membership and the credit only applying to that area. That is important. At the outset of her contribution this evening, I heard the Minister speak about a lot of capital investment in healthcare.”
“I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in the debate. It was not my intention to mention the briefing that we received today from the care group but, such was the moving personal testimony from people who have suffered from eating disorders and their family members, it would be unbecoming not to mention it. Those who attended became much more aware of the issue today. Many there were already familiar with the issue of eating disorders. There is a specific request. That is for specific treatment and therapies to be provided outside the standard acute mental health facilities for those who suffer from eating disorders. It would be remiss of me having attended that briefing not to raise it here.”
“The Commission on the Defence Forces report proposes that there should be "Clear inter-agency policies and planning for the deployment of the Defence Forces". We could incorporate that into the review of Storm Éowyn and how we can use that recommendation going forward.”
“I thank the Tánaiste for his response. It is clear from his response that he recognises the necessity of the review and how in-depth it needs to be. The Tánaiste also has a clear understanding of the suffering people endured. In terms of the range of skills that is available to the Defence Forces, one area that comes to mind is medical and support skills for people who are medically vulnerable. There certainly is a sense in certain locations, when there was no power, that medical assistance was needed or would have been required and the Defence Forces might have been in a position to provide that. The Tánaiste put his finger on it when he said that the Defence Forces came to the aid of the civic authorities in all places where it was requested to do so. However, some agencies might be unclear of when that request can be made.”
“I acknowledge the Tánaiste has outlined a number of places where the Defence Force actively participated, but I concur with my colleague, Deputy Daly, that maybe the Defence Forces could have been more relevantly used regarding the homes of people.”
“I thank the Tánaiste for his answer to this point. I recognise in his response that he has outlined the challenge Storm Éowyn brought to certain parts of the country. However we like to present it and would contest this position, though, there is a perception in some constituencies, particularly on the western seaboard and midlands and Border area that had the impact of Storm Éowyn been felt in other parts of the country, or had the lack of services as a result of the storm been suffered in other parts of the country, the response might have been greater. I recognise that might be contested but among the most commonly occurring questions I get in parts of the country that are still affected by the lack of communications and communication breakdown was whether the Defence Force could have played a greater role in the restoration operation.”
“I sought further information as to the position and, sure enough, when I looked at the staffing cohort of the six teams ,the team that had no children waiting for initial assessments was the best staffed. It had the highest number of speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and psychologists, all the way down to social workers, preschool liaison staff and other support workers. There lies the answer.”
“While we are all frustrated by the lack of services being provided through the teams at the moment, I believe there is something about the model that we should try to build upon. Of course, the model is not unidisciplinary; it provides multidisciplinary support to all the children within the team. If we can build on that model and properly resource it with the appropriate personnel we could have a successful model for the support and for the therapeutic intervention for children with special needs. I will give some insight into how the numbers can be different across the CDNTs. In County Galway, there are six CDNTs. In one of those teams, as of last March when I asked a question at the regional health forum, there were no children waiting for initial assessments, which was very noteworthy.”
“As a result of its introduction, teachers have become great advocates for children with special educational needs. The system has extended the role of teachers beyond the classroom in advocating with service providers for their pupils and for those to whom they provide tuition. I have been fortunate in my teaching career to work with many special needs assistants. The special needs assistant has the opportunity to have the greatest impact on a child with special needs. I have seen that time and again. I welcome very much in the programme for Government commitment to continue to extend and increase the number of special needs assistants within our schools, both mainstream and special schools. A number of people mentioned CDNTs.”
“One of the commitments in the programme for Government relates to the delivery of a step change in disability services. This is a very welcome and ambitious objective. Should it come to fruition in five years' time, we would be able to reflect positively on it. This Government would leave a legacy of change in this area should it come to pass, and we all hope that it will. My professional career coincided with an era when children with diverse needs began to enrol in mainstream school settings. We saw with this the appointment of additional resource and supply teachers and the introduction of special needs assistants in schools throughout the country. We must pay tribute to the Taoiseach for the role he played in developing and introducing that system.”
“That was the first HSE specialist service for the assessment and management of childhood ADHD. Over the past five years, its ADMiRE service has developed a structured, standardised and evidence-based clinical pathway for the assessment and management of ADHD. We should roll out that approach throughout the country to facilitate a greater service for those children and lead to better life outcomes for them. That would streamline referrals to CAMHS in a better manner. There would be a specific service for children with ADHD and an alternative service for children who present with other mental health issues, such as eating disorders and other such ailments. It is a model we should look at expanding.”
“Adults with ADHD cite increasing challenges in life that present as mental health difficulties. We need to provide care for adults. If we can enhance care in CAMHS for the children who present with ADHD, it will reduce the burden of the disorder as children move into adulthood. As I said, ADHD is the commonest cause of a referral to CAMHS but there are only two CAMHS facilities in the country that provide specialist ADHD clinics. The current system means children with concerns who are referred for assessment for ADHD often must wait due to urgent cases being unavoidably prioritised. The Linn Dara CAMHS facility in Dublin, which I am sure the Minister of State and other Deputies are aware of, recognised in 2019 the urgent need for a standardised approach to the assessment and treatment of children with ADHD.”
“Despite attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, ADHD, referrals for assessment and intervention being the reason for the majority of referrals for CAMHS, children must often await assessment and the availability of interventions and therapies is limited. As was mentioned, 4,500 children are on the existing waiting list for CAMHS. It is likely that many of those patients were referred to CAMHS as a result concerns about ADHD and are seeking further intervention. The impact of not intervening at the earliest point is that there are difficulties and challenges later in life. I compliment the Minister of State because I know that in the past year, for the first time, a service for adult ADHD sufferers has been established in Galway, Mayo and Roscommon. That service is to begin this year and I hope it begins soon.”
“The data highlights that the facility is consistently full, leading to my concern that it is difficult to get access to the facility. This must present a great dilemma to psychiatric teams in terms of the necessity of admission, and while there is a welcome emphasis on the provision of facilities within the community, we must ensure a sufficient number of acute beds. Ireland's psychiatric bed rate per 100,000 of population has declined from 78 in 2008 to 33 in 2019. The European Union average rate is 73 per 100,000, which we are some way below. We must be worried that the absence of acute beds is exacerbating problems within the community. That is something we should examine. Many people have mentioned CAMHS.”
“Resourcing front-line services for people who present with mental health difficulties at accident and emergency departments seems to be an ongoing issue. I agree with Deputy Tóibín. We seem to hear about these instances quite frequently. The challenge is that there does not appear to be a sufficient presence at accident and emergency departments of those who can intervene in a crisis situation. Of course, the challenge is that most of the staff in accident and emergency departments are busy and run off their feet. When these circumstances can result in what happened in Galway last week, it is something we need to look at carefully. Another major infrastructural challenge is the absence of inpatient beds. The acute mental health facility in University Hospital Galway has 50 beds.”