Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)

The Psychiatric Nurses Association of Ireland, PNAI, has given the HSE three weeks’ notice of industrial action over the scandalous recruitment embargo that was introduced last November. The PNAI has a membership of between 6,500 and 7,000 people, 95% of whom voted for this. At the time the embargo was imposed, there were approximately 300 vacancies for psychiatric nurses in this country and there are now a shocking 725 vacancies. Mental health care in Ireland is in a terrible state, with spending on mental health being far too low. Child and adolescent mental health services continue to make headlines for all the wrong reasons, with far too many children and young people falling through the gaps. How does the Minister propose to address this chronic shortfall in psychiatric staffing? How does he propose to address the impact the recruitment embargo has had? When will he lift that embargo to ensure we have the level of staffing in the health service, particularly in the area of mental health care, that is so badly needed?

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