I would love to see that level of debate about mental health services, not comments in the Chamber. It is a pity because I receive text messages on a daily basis, not just from parents whose children are trying to avail of mental health services in County Wexford but also from staff in HSE South. I will quote from a text message sent to me yesterday by a very distressed mother. She said:

What's happening? What's the story in Wexford? There is still no consultant, no registrar, no clinical nurse manager, who's out sick at the moment, no medical appointments for children with mental illness. They are in dire need. There's no one to write prescriptions for controlled drugs for children, no service after five o'clock when there is a clinical manager there. Instead children are sent to the Department of Psychiatry in Waterford in a single room with no occupational therapy, just medication offered. They're locked in a room.

By the way, this area in University Hospital Waterford is called the dungeon. Every now and then, a consultant is brought from Galway and paid €3,000 per day to see children on the weekends he is available. I do not know anymore where we are. Two and a half years ago staff in Slaney House were promised that they would be moved to better accommodation, but they still have not been moved. In October 2017 they were promised that premises would be available to them.

They are still in the old premises. At this point I do not know what to do. I was Chairman of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Future of Mental Health Care. I was promised the committee would continue, which would allow members of the committee to oversee, supervise and scrutinise the HSE. Now that committee is gone, so there is nobody doing it. I again call on the Government to reinstate the committee and to please do something within the next week about Slaney House. I acknowledge that Mr. Paul Reid was down there the other day. Wexford will come to its knees. A massive problem or tragedy will happen and then the Government will act. It should act now. I will be on this case daily until Christmas until something happens.

I support Senator Freeman's remarks. It is not confined to Wexford but I am aware of particular problems there. I spoke to one mother this morning who must wait 13 weeks to see a psychiatrist in an emergency. That young person must go through the whole of December, Christmas and the beyond without getting an appointment. That is a very serious situation. I agree with Senator Freeman about the life-saving initiatives and action on recruitment that we are talking about. Years have passed sense A Vision for Change was published. Think of all the photo opportunities that it created and yet we are still in those circumstances. It is a shame on us all.

I propose a change to the Order of Business – this may have been done and I apologise if it has been – that instead of debating the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017, we debate the need for a public inquiry into the death of Shane O'Farrell. The Minister for Justice and Equality will obviously be available at that time. It is crucial that we debate that in this House.

Is the Senator proposing an amendment to the Order of Business to that effect?

I am. It may already have been taken care of but if it has not I am proposing that.

The Government is planning new laws to stop local groups and environmental organisations challenging controversial developments in court. I have real concerns about this because the new law will effectively deny ordinary citizens, community groups and non-governmental organisations, NGOs, the chance to ever take a court challenge. If passed, the changes would make it impossible for newly-formed campaign groups to seek judicial review of planning decisions affecting their locality and it speaks to the lack of consultation. Developments absolutely must happen but they must be done in consultation with community groups. To state this cannot be done unless a group has been in existence for three years and 100 members have signed it is the wrong way to go. This comes on top of the changes to legislation that allow major capital projects and large housing developments to go directly to An Bord Pleanála for approval. There is no means of appealing them except by judicial review. That is taking autonomy away from local authorities. I would like a debate on this here because I do not like the direction it is going in terms of local people not having a genuine say in the development, shaping and structure of their communities.