3428. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 872 of 16 June 2026, if she will expand on her commitment to delivering the appropriate services for each person with FASD in line with their needs (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60829/26]

Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a neuro-developmental disorder caused by prenatal alcohol exposure and can lead to lifelong challenges with learning, behaviour, health, and social skills.

Supports for children, young adults, and families living with FASD are based on complexity of presenting need rather than any specific diagnosis. Therefore, responsibility will vary depending on the supports and services to meet those needs. This ensures that responses are tailored to individual need.

The response to alcohol and drug use has become more structured. Women are routinely asked about alcohol intake at booking across all 19 maternity sites, with support available through maternity teams, counselling services, Drug and Alcohol Liaison Midwives and inpatient stabilisation programmes where required.

Five Drug and Alcohol Liaison Midwives now cover five of the six Health Regions, with recruitment of a further post in progress. The service links maternity and addiction care and provides clinical guidance, support, advocacy and liaison. Clear pathways are reported in the areas covered, and all six Regions have access to inpatient stabilisation programmes.

Disability services, primary care, paediatric services and mental health services, are all involved in the provision of services for children with FASD in Ireland. Children with FASD who also present with moderate to severe mental health difficulties can be referred to their local community mental health teams for assessment and treatment, as would be the case for any other person in the community.

The current Programme for Government makes several commitments to improving all aspects of youth mental health care, including the specialist HSE CAMHS service. This has been underpinned by the significant additional funding secured for youth mental health over recent years, including under Budget 2026. It is important to note that CAMHS is a secondary care specialist service for those aged up to 18 years, who have a moderate to severe mental health difficulty. Access to CAMHS is on the basis of prioritised clinical assessment, in line with the CAMHS Operational Guidelines, with all referrals to CAMHS assessed by a multidisciplinary team. Approximately 2% of the population require support from CAMHS with over 90% of mental health needs treated in primary care.

In terms of access to wider supports for children, while CAMHS is not suitable for children or adolescents where their difficulties are primarily related to learning problems, social problems, or behavioural problems, there are many other services available to assist these young people such as HSE Primary Care Services, HSE Disability Services, TUSLA, Jigsaw, and the National Educational Psychology Services (NEPS). Similarly, organisations that provide support and clinical interventions at primary care level for young people with mild to moderate mental health difficulties include Jigsaw (Online), My Mind, Turn2Me, and Spunout.

It is a priority for this Government to ensure that children who need services can access them and access them on time.