O’Malley Must Go - Kenny

Enda Kenny told the Dáil (today) that he has no confidence in the Minister of State, Tim O'Malley, following the latter's comments on last night's Prime Time Investigates. He went on to call for the Taoiseach to seek Minister O'Malley's resignation over his handling of the services to patients with psychiatric illness and his grossly insensitive comments last night relating to waiting lists for such patients.

'Mental illness is devastating. It can tear families apart. That is why Fine Gael and Labour selected this issue as the first in a series of joint policy launches on the 5th of September this year. (See link to statement http://www.finegael.ie/news/index.cfm/type/details/nkey/29102/pkey/653/)

'Minister O'Malley's comments prove that he has no connection with those families. No warmth, no empathy, no understanding. He has had 4 ½ years to deliver services for the people that need them and he has failed to do so. Therefore, he is totally unsuited to the job. That is why the Taoiseach should seek his resignation.

'Mental illness is a private illness with very public consequences. When people's lives are collapsing around them, after ten years of FF and the PDs, they find they have no-one to turn to, nowhere to go. The Government has not addressed this crisis in ten years of record revenue. What makes anyone think they will do it in 15?

'The Minister is blaming everyone except himself. He is the Minister. The buck stops with him. Evading responsibility is now second nature to this dysfunctional Government. They have had nearly ten years in charge now. Six years ago the First Report of the Working Group on Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Services, set up by Minister Martin when he was Minister, said;

'It is recommended that a total of seven child and adolescent inpatient units for children ranging 6-16 should be developed throughout the country'

'Six years on and this commitment hasn't been delivered. Minister O'Malley has been in office for 4 ½ years of those 6 years and has clearly failed to deliver. This is in a period when the Government had booming tax revenues - €8,000 million more collected than expected in the last three years alone - and managed to throw money away on dud projects like PPARS, e-voting and the Bertie Bowl.

'Today there are 3,000 children waiting for psychiatric assessments with just 13 beds available to cater for their needs. In some cases these children are waiting for four and half years for an assessment - joining the waiting list at the time that Minister O'Malley took office. The HSE has clearly not substantiated Minister O'Malley's remarks about waiting lists and have left him isolated, save for the support of the Taoiseach who thinks Minister O'Malley is doing his best.

'Unfortunately, for patients with psychiatric illness Minister O'Malley clearly has no grasp or understanding of their circumstances. He may be doing his best, but his best falls miles short of what this under resourced and under appreciated sector needs. That is why he must go.'