As the Minister of State knows well, County Wexford is experiencing a mental health crisis due to the lack of an acute mental health facility since the closure of St. Senan's psychiatric hospital in 2013. This facility served as the primary mental health institution in the region for over 150 years. There has been no replacement, meaning there is no acute mental health unit in Wexford. This is shocking in the context of the escalating mental health crisis we are witnessing nationwide. It is deeply troubling and leaves a significant gap in service provision in the south east. I was alarmed by information I received. While I knew this already, I wanted to confirm the exact figures by means of a parliamentary question before Christmas. The response showed that over 1,000 people had presented to Wexford General Hospital's accident and emergency department in mental health crisis between January and October 2025. Over the past five years, Wexford's accident and emergency department has seen 5,105 patients presenting in mental health crisis. It is incredible that 877 of those who presented to the hospital in mental health crisis were children. What is truly terrifying is that these thousands of people had no dedicated mental health facility available locally. I live on the Wexford-Wicklow border. It is a long way from Waterford hospital. In my office, we received far too many reports of patients waiting and being referred to an antiquated psychiatric department in Waterford city, only to be discharged or often refused services within hours due to a lack of staff or lack of space. I am sure the Minister of State will agree it is completely unacceptable to have these circumstances in 2026 in a country that is awash with money. My background is primary teaching and I am involved in secondary schools. The Minister of State will accept that this antiquated psychiatric unit in Waterford hospital is a completely inappropriate setting for children in a mental health crisis to be sent to, especially if they are travelling long distances, for example, from anywhere in Wexford or even south Wicklow. The Minister of State has responsibility for mental health. I ask that funding be allocated through the HSE capital programme for the development of a mental health unit attached to Wexford General Hospital. This issue is regularly brought up on South East Radio. All the Deputies present will agree with this proposal. All 34 councillors in County Wexford agree with it. It comes up at practically every meeting of the county council and there is cross-party support for it. We need to see movement on this unit in 2026. It is urgently needed to ensure that people in acute mental health crisis can access timely, appropriate and safe care close to their home. County Wexford has repeatedly been left behind in terms of mental health services. This is not only failing the people experiencing the crisis, but also their families. We need a whole family support and wraparound service. There are partners, parents and carers struggling to navigate a fragmented system while supporting loved ones in crisis. They require accessible counselling, education and practical supports to help them to understand and manage the challenges they face. The Government has paid lip service to mental health provision and well-being. It has failed to deliver A Vision for Change and Sharing the Vision. The result is that many of facilities are in a state of emergency. Funding has stagnated and reform has stalled. What plans does the Minister of State and the Government have to address the mental health crisis in County Wexford? I know all about Waterford and the overall budget, but the money does not appear to be going to Wexford in any meaningful way. I would be grateful if the Minister of State could comment on that.

Sentiment score: -0.09

I acknowledge what the local teams are doing. They are doing brilliant work at Tara House, Arden House and lots of other places. I am glad to hear that the Minister of State accepts that there are no acute beds in County Wexford and that she will look at that this year. I am just reflecting what every politician in Wexford is saying and what the people coming to me are saying. They are saying that the facility in Waterford is not appropriate. I am not disparaging the work that they are doing. They are doing brilliant work under very difficult circumstances. I know this from a local county councillor who was bringing his own son. He said that it was so difficult. It was not possible to bring him by car because he was likely to jump out so he had to be brought by ambulance to Wexford. This is a county councillor in Wexford who will not mind me saying this because he has raised it publicly himself. I am just saying that the setting is inappropriate. That is his view. He has been campaigning on mental health for many years and has said that it is completely inappropriate for children. I also believe it is inappropriate. It is not a proper setting for someone in crisis. When people in mental health crisis present at Wexford General Hospital, the staff there do not have the training, resources or expertise to be dealing with them. I applaud the absolutely incredible work being done by groups like It's Good 2 Talk and Talk to Tom up in the north of the county. I have been dealing with Talk to Tom for years and have often referred children to it because it does brilliant work. However, Talk to Tom has not received one cent in statutory funding since it was set up. It organises local fundraisers. It is crazy that a local, voluntary group feels that it must step in to fill the gaps left by the State, a state that is awash with money. I was just looking at figures today showing that over €4 million was spent on security for a facility that was going to be used by IPAS across the border in County Wicklow. That is just one example but I could list hundreds of other examples of where money could be better spent. It is completely inappropriate to be wasting people's money. Some people say that it is not practical to have an acute facility in County Wexford. I disagree with the Minister of State's previous statement that it is not practical to have a facility in every county. I would be grateful to hear more about what she could do in that regard.

Sentiment score: 0.06