The Taoiseach should show leadership and not shout across the Chamber. If he is ready, I wish to make my contribution.

The programme for Government contains a commitment to build further capacity in child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS. Yesterday, the annual report of the Ombudsman for Children was published. It showed there was a shocking shortage of staffing, and the impact on children and young people in the service is highlighted. In my constituency of Waterford, I have met a number of families in recent times who have seen their young children placed in adult psychiatric wards because we do not have the facilities in the region. The report highlights in particular the lack of CAMHS consultants who provide out-of-hours cover in ten HSE community healthcare organisation, CHO, areas, the south east being one. This is absolutely shocking. The Taoiseach's Government, in its programme for Government, committed to increase capacity, yet we have a report from the Ombudsman that says the opposite is happening.

Has the Deputy a question?

Will the Taoiseach update the House and explain why this is the case? What additional capacity will be put into places such as the south east that needs it?

The programme for Government commits to improve our mental health services and increase capacity in this area. The mental health budget now stands at over €900 million, up €200 million since 2011. The current focus when it comes to child and adult mental health services is on two things. First is the recruitment of 114 assistant psychologists and 22 staff psychologists for primary care services. As it stands, 111 of the 114 have been recruited and are in place as well as 20 of the 22 staff places, so we are doing well on recruitment in that area. Second is the extension of seven-days-a-week services. They already exist in some parts of the country but it is intended to extend them to all parts of the country this year.

The programme for Government includes commitments on funding for the higher education sector, but we have not seen any comprehensive funding plan yet. The Coalition for Publicly Funded Higher Education has today published its own survey which shows that 90% of people want increased investment in higher education. Last week, we saw the continued fall in the international rankings of Irish universities. The Cassells report has been published but we have no funding plan for the sector yet outlined by Government. The Coalition for Publicly Funded Higher Education has today called for €199 million in next year's budget. The Minister, Deputy Mitchell O'Connor, told the student leader of DCU that student loans were off the table. Are student loans off the table? When will the Government outline a clear long-term plan for funding higher education in the State and commit the required funding over time?

As the Deputy knows, in the last budget we expanded the Exchequer provision by €50 million. We also provided an additional €50 million from the National Training Fund, and in future years we will increase the fund, trebling that amount over the next three years. In addition, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform has provided a trebling of our capital budget for higher education over the next four years and, in the context of the longer ten-year period, has provided €2.2 billion, compared with a €100 million provision for a four-year period that was there before that. Therefore, very substantial increased investment is being provided in the higher and further education area.

That is capital.

Student loans were an issue that was part of the Cassells report. We have acted on the other two areas. It was referred to the Oireachtas committee. The Oireachtas committee earlier this year asked our Department to do further economic evaluation of this, and that is being done.

It is too low.