Mental health report and youth services
Senator Murnane O'Connor began on the Joint Committee on the Future of Mental Health Care’s final report, praising cross-party work. After repeated rulings that she was raising multiple matters, she tried to add concerns about young adult mental health and then shifted to Carlow kick-boxing champions before being ruled out of order and reserving the rest for another day.
Today the Joint Committee on the Future of Mental Health Care-----
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I want to speak. I am so delighted to be working on behalf of Carlow.
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The Leas-Chathaoirleach is right. Today the Joint Committee on Future of Mental Health Care, which I sit on, will launch its final report. I commend the Chairman, Senator Joan Freeman, for spearheading the work of the committee. She has done tremendous work and I want to say "Well done" to her. The committee deserves praise for its joined-up thinking with all parties together which I want to emphasise. Every party took part in this-----
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That is a first for the Senator in fairness.
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-----and we worked together as a team for the future of mental health services.
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I have only started; the Leas-Chathaoirleach has to allow me more time.
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One area that has been identified as having serious barriers is the area of young adult and teenage mental health. There are not enough services for that age group and we lose real people in the statistics.
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This is it. I have been interrupted.
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That is why today I especially want to talk about three young people-----
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Order, please. I want to make this clear because I said it yesterday. The leaders are allowed two issues and three minutes. Every other Senator is allowed two minutes and one issue. Is that clear? Please finish up.
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That is why I especially want to talk about three young people who I had the pleasure of spending some time with recently and it was in kick-boxing. Kick-boxing is thriving as a sport around the world. In the WAKO world kickboxing championship in Italy, Kickboxing Ireland competitors won 12 gold, 11 silver and 29 bronze medals on the global stage. Three of the gold medalists were from Larry's Kickboxing Club in Carlow-----
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They are a 14 year old girl, Jack Dawson a 14 year old boy and Jamie Walker a 12 year old boy from Carlow. They all won gold medals-----
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-----and we are so proud of them.
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I have more to say, but I will be back again tomorrow.