In a report in today's Irish Independent, the journalist, Katherine Donnelly, provides a detailed and disturbing analysis of a new study by Dr. Rosaleen McElvaney of the school of nursing and human sciences at Dublin City University. The analysis was funded by St. Patrick's mental health services. Dr. McElvaney found that primary schools are engaging with children, some as young as four years of age, who are experiencing serious mental health difficulties, including self-harming and suicidal thoughts. The study notes that one quarter of all school principals believe they are ill-equipped to respond to the complexity of these children's needs. It is estimated that one third of schools are providing on-site counselling on an ad hoc basis. This demonstrates the way in which the absolute chaos in our mental health services is interacting with the crisis facing teaching principals around release times. This is generating a perfect storm, which is having a debilitating impact across the educational and mental health spectrum.

In the past week alone, almost a dozen schools in County Tipperary contacted me to raise the issue of exhaustion and the excessive workload affecting teaching principals as they try to manage the unmanageable administrative burdens being placed on them. The principals of the Deanery school in Cashel, Mount Bruis national school, Upper Newtown national school, St. Michael's national school, the Christian Brothers school in Tipperary town and the national schools in Tankardstown, Lisronagh, Lattin and Ballydrehid, as well as many other schools from outside my constituency, all expressed the view that the education system is under threat. They are burnt out and disillusioned and they argue that fantastic educational leaders are being lost every month due to ill health and stress.

As I stated, all of this is creating serious, systemic problems for children and a mental health crisis. Teaching principals are being mentally worn down in their search for adequate and appropriate child services. The position is the same at all levels of education, including in secondary schools. This morning, I and many other Deputies met student union representatives who also raised major issues. For instance, some students have to wait a full term to see a counsellor. The service is wholly inadequate when students must wait for eight to ten weeks for an appointment.

Is it any wonder this is happening when there is not a single residential child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, bed or adult psychiatric bed in Tipperary, a county with a population of 160,000? Recently, when I raised with the Taoiseach the resignation of an eminent psychiatrist, Dr. John Hillery, he dismissed it as a pre-election stunt on Dr. Hillery's part. I found that disgraceful. Unfortunately for the Taoiseach, the same cannot be said about Dr. Rosaleen McElvaney, the author of the study to which I referred. Will he accept there is a deep and prolonged crisis in mental health that is actively threatening the stability of the primary education system? Will he give a commitment to engage urgently with teaching principals to address their concerns for the sake of all the pupils, staff and families involved?

I am afraid Deputy Mattie McGrath has me at a disadvantage once again. I have not seen the news report to which he refers-----

Where is the Taoiseach living? Is he living at home?

-----nor have I read the study to which it refers. However, I can perhaps comment on some more general matters. In terms of mental health, I am sure the Deputy will be aware that we spend approximately €900 million per annum on mental health. This is a considerable amount of money, which is well spent, and is an increase of €200 million since 2012. There is, therefore, significant investment in mental health, an area in which services are changing. However, we are running into various recruitment difficulties, as is almost every country, in finding appropriately qualified staff to service our mental health infrastructure.

In terms of school principals, we are fortunate in Ireland to have such truly excellent school principals who do such an excellent job in managing and leading their schools.

We are doing more and more every year now that we can afford to do so. There is, of course, always more work to do but it is relevant to mention what has been done. This year the total spend on education will be €10 billion, the highest ever. What does that mean in practice? Some 5,000 new teachers have been employed in the last two years on foot of the confidence and supply agreement with Fianna Fáil; the restoration of guidance counsellors in a lot of schools; new subjects being introduced like computer science and physical education; 15,000 special needs assistants in our schools now - more than we have gardaí even though Garda numbers are increasing as well; renewed investment in our institutes of technology and universities; and new school buildings all over the country. We are seeing a considerable investment in education.

The Deputy might not be aware, so perhaps I have an advantage over him on this, that the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Bruton, made an announcement this morning which is all about improving school leadership and management and that involves additional promotional posts in primary schools, for example, more assistant principals to support principals, improved continuing professional development and training for teachers to help them deal with the changing environment that children now face.

Unfortunately I do not think the Taoiseach gets it. We can quote all these numbers and statistics but right in front of his face is the pressure that is on principals and the mental health problems that are there at such a young age are frightening all of us or at least anyone that wants to listen and acknowledge it. I feel the Taoiseach does not appreciate the scale of the crisis facing teaching principals. Some 80% of teaching principals have had their health compromised by their positions and 84% have considered stepping down. The Taoiseach can talk about all the new posts but we cannot keep the trained, excellent leaders that we have: we are losing them. Teaching principals are also paid less than their administrative principal counterparts who are also extremely overworked but who do have 900 hours release time a year on average more than the others. Teaching principals work without the added responsibility, so that 900 hours is very badly needed. The teaching principals forum has stated that the primary education system currently is like a house of cards, something like the Taoiseach's Government, and he is going to stand by while it collapses around us.

With regard to mental health, three nurses resigned from mental health posts in Waterford Regional Hospital only this week. There is nobody there at the moment. The Taoiseach can close his eyes to this, deny it and say he does not know what I am talking about but he should know and it is his duty to know. He is not living on Mars: he is living in Dublin.

I am not sure if there was a supplementary question there-----

Of course there was.

-----but what I can add to my previous reply is that the Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, met with the management team of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, CAMHS, covering County Tipperary yesterday and is due to meet them again in two weeks' time to see what can be done to improve those mental health services in the south east. Also, the National Educational Psychological Service is delivering mental health services to schools in the region and indeed all regions.

We do not have them.

That concludes Leaders' Questions.