Recently, I met the Tipperary representatives of the INTO to discuss the organisation's pre-budget submission. I was dismayed to learn there had been a 40% increase nationally in the number of primary school-leaving kids requiring behavioural and emotional assistance during the pandemic. That is a significant increase in the number of children under 12 years who are seeking help. Securing the appropriate assessments for these children was justifiably viewed by parents and teachers as urgent. However, waiting lists for specialist services prevented many of them from accessing the help and support they needed. The lack of mental health services for children and young people across County Tipperary and the country is a fast-growing crisis. Children in their formative years are being left languishing on waiting lists at a critical time in their development. Services are underfunded, underresourced and unable to cope with demand.

Child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, has waiting lists in all parts of the country. In February of this year, numbers had risen to 4,500. These children's inability to get appointments with mental health professionals has resulted in hundreds of them now taking prescribed antidepressant drugs from their GPs. These medications will mask the symptoms but not address the problem. Statistics show that last year 15,000 prescriptions for antidepressant medication were given to children under 15 years of age.

It is widely acknowledged that children and young people are exposed to mental and emotional overload more than ever. We live in a news-saturated world. Every day, there are stories beamed into our homes of war, death, hunger, conflict, natural disasters, murders and attacks. Many young people are seeing horrendous things happening in their communities. At home, there can be problems over a lack of money, abuse, neglect, domestic violence and drug and alcohol misuse, and sometimes the death of a loved family member. Children are also dealing with day-to-day issues such as bullying at school, cyberbullying, body issues and exam pressure, and also a myriad of other matters that can overwhelm a young mind. When a child is suffering mentally, putting him or her on a waiting list can have detrimental consequences. Such consequences can in fact have a lifelong impact on a child. Our children deserve better than this. We, as adults and elected representatives, have an obligation to our young people to guide them through childhood and support and protect them. Urgent investment is needed in child and adolescent mental health services to expand capacity significantly and reduce the waiting lists.

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. His experience will be similar to that of many in this House who have been talking to parents, teachers, doctors and psychologists and who will be aware of the increasing demands on young people's mental health, in part due to the pandemic and in part due to other challenges and pressures they face. That is why we are investing very significantly in mental health services. The total allocation for mental health services this year is €1.2 billion, which is the highest ever. It is needed because of the very high level of demand. Of that, about €137 million is provided to CAMHS. About €80 million was provided to community-based mental health organisations last year, with a significant proportion of that dedicated to services for children and young people.

In addition, recruitment is under way for a new post of a youth mental health lead at assistant national director level in the HSE and also for a new clinical lead for youth mental health. The Minister of State with responsibility for mental health, Deputy Butler, has recently completed a series of round-table talks bringing together officials from the Department of Health, the HSE and other stakeholders in youth mental health to drive improvement in CAMHS, with a focus on leadership and clinical expertise. The Deputy will also be aware of the announcements made recently by the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, and the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, on counselling being provided in schools.

With regard to CAMHS reforms, the Deputy is particularly interested in the north Tipperary team, based in Nenagh and which also has clinics in Roscrea and Thurles. All service users in north Tipperary, but also those in south Tipperary requiring inpatient care, are referred to Éist Linn in Cork. Jigsaw Tipperary, which is based in Thurles, opened in 2021 and currently has a waiting time of around four weeks to access a first appointment. I am glad to say this is currently the shortest waiting time in the State.

I appreciate and acknowledge the Taoiseach's interest in the subject and his commitment to addressing what is a very serious problem. I know the services that operate in Tipperary and meet the people involved regularly. They tell me that despite the investment the Taoiseach has mentioned, there is still a huge shortage of resources, particularly personnel. I ask the Taoiseach to examine the INTO's pre-budget submission. It is asking for an increase for the National Educational Psychological Service and is looking for the reinstatement and expansion of in-school and early-years therapy supports. The staff of the INTO and the teachers it represents are on the ground and see what I am referring to happening every other day. They know exactly what is required. They are also calling for on-site counselling and a national framework to monitor the development of the services. The INTO has said that the cost would be approximately €11 million annually. This is a small price to pay for the mental well-being of our children. We have an obligation to protect them but are failing too many of them at present. No child should be left waiting indefinitely for professional mental health support.

I assure the Deputy that we will take the INTO submission very seriously. We certainly have done so down the years. The ideas and advice it gives to the Government have very often been taken up by the Government.

It is not always possible to do everything we want to do in any one given year but we can certainly do more over the years ahead. Again, the Minister, Deputy Foley, is very committed to improving psychological services in schools and has some ideas on that which we hope to advance.