Last year, there were 7,000 call-outs of gardaí to deal with mental health crises around the State.

In effect, gardaí are managing mental health patients outside office hours. That is 340 per Garda division or almost one per day. The Mental Health Commission recently referred to a 2009 report recommending 24-7 social work services and enhanced training for Garda members. Will the Taoiseach implement the report and improve services, especially in the larger towns on a 24-7 basis, and expand the pilot project in Limerick where community access support teams were in place to deal with this crisis?

Before the Taoiseach responds, we are out of time and we have three speakers left. Again, I ask Members for their co-operation and we will take the four questions together.

Kildare and Laois have some of the lowest Garda numbers per capita in the country. Some 55% of the Gardaí in one station in Kildare are out sick, mainly due to injuries sustained in the line of duty. Will the Taoiseach personally intervene to address Garda numbers in Kildare and Laois and to address morale and conditions in the wider force so that people can feel safe on the streets? I did hear what the Taoiseach said to Deputy Kerrane about the 1,000 budgeted for next year. How many are for Laois and Kildare?

I have been in contact with the Department of Health and the HSE on the closure of Dunkineely health centre in Donegal. The HSE has still not responded. The response from the Department referred me to the HSE, which has not responded. My constituents are, understandably, very worried about the future of the health centre and of their town. Dunkineely has seen closure after closure in recent years, including the post office and the Garda station, so the town is understandably anxious about the sudden closure of yet another service. However, this does not seem to be a priority of the HSE. It is just another example of the lack of concern or care for our national service and another example of the lack of concern or care the Government has for rural communities. Patients have nowhere to go as doctors in surrounding practices of Killybegs, Mountcharles and Donegal town have been unable to take new patients for a while due to high demand and a lack of GP services in south Donegal. What will the Government do to ensure these services are restored and available?

Since June I have raised the cancellation of public health nurse check-ups for babies and children in community healthcare organisation, CHO, 7 and in particular the areas of Rathcoole, Lucan, Clondalkin and Newcastle. I have been told repeatedly that the HSE has a pipeline of students due to graduate who will become public health nurses. However, this has not materialised. In particular, it has not materialised for us in Dublin. That means parents are still stressed out about this and children and toddlers are still missing milestone developmental checkups. It is simply not good enough. Will the Taoiseach commit to looking at the recruitment process to see if policies and procedures need to be changed so that we can get public health nurses more quickly, especially into Dublin, because something has to change?

In response to Deputy Daly, I mentioned the significant increase in Garda numbers since 2015 and that funding had been put aside to recruit a further 1,000 gardaí in the 2023 budget. That impacts on the pilot schemes Deputy Daly wants extended, particularly the relationship with mental health, dealing with mental health call-outs and so on. The overall aim of the Government is to increase significantly the number of gardaí in order that the Commissioner can operationally deploy them in accordance with his priorities.

I will engage with the HSE in respect of Deputy Pringle's question. I do not think he outlined the reasons the centre is closing. There must be some background to it but I will check it with the HSE and that the Deputy raised it.

I will also check with the HSE in respect of Deputy Higgins question. That is a recruitment and retention issue in the HSE more generally. More specifically, the CHO 7 area is not one I am au fait with but I will raise the matter with the HSE.