The review of south Kerry child and adolescent mental health services, CAHMS, makes for devastating reading. This failure by CAHMS has caused enormous pain and suffering for children and their families in south Kerry. It has had a catastrophic impact on some children. I believe this case warrants a full Garda investigation and I hope that happens. Will the State issue a formal apology to the children and the families involved in this case? Will the Government ensure that every child and family affected by this situation will get the care and support they need right now? I ask the Tánaiste to guarantee that this will never happen again in south Kerry or anywhere else in Ireland under CAHMS and to set out what measures will be taken to ensure that is the case.

As I said earlier, one of the things we absolutely have to make sure happens now, if it has not happened already, is that the children affected and their families get not only the supports and services they should have got in the first instance, but also any additional help they need to undo the harm and remedy the situation. We need to try to make things better for them in any way we can. Where there have been other serious events where there were failings in our health services, the HSE has put in place packages for patients and families. It is appropriate that that should be done on this occasion.

The HSE has apologised verbally and in writing to all of the children and families affected. That was done as part of the new open disclosure policy. The matter of a State apology will have to be given consideration by Government and by the Taoiseach. Having been involved in a few of them, I know that it is important to get it right. There is a particular format around that. It is something we will consider.