Irish Examiner view: Camhs report shows children are still being left without proper care

Why does it appear that services for vulnerable children are routinely unavailable, underfunded, or inadequate? Is it because those children lack political clout or popular representation?

A patient sample showed the average wait time in Cork and Kerry Camhs was four months. Picture: PA

Readers had much to digest in the reports published by the Mental Health Commission (MHC) on Thursday, examining Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (Camhs) provision, which painted a very bleak picture.

The reports found no dedicated Camhs service for children and adolescents with an intellectual disability and mental illness, and according to a patient sample taken by the MHC, the average wait time in Cork and Kerry Camhs was four months (a “reasonable” wait time is three months or less).

The responses of individual parents were heartbreaking: One parent told of writing “begging letters” to Camhs in order to get her child seen, and another described how her child had “lost three years of his life” on different waiting lists for the various services.

There is a depressing familiarity to these stories insofar as they resemble the struggles of families and children in other areas. It is a situation that will be familiar to parents whose children have scoliosis and who must travel abroad for treatment.

It will also be familiar to parents seeking services for children with disabilities — we learned this week, for instance, that such services have all-but shut down in Cork due to staff shortages.

Why does it appear that services for vulnerable children are routinely unavailable, underfunded, or inadequate? Is it because those children represent a section of the population without political clout or popular representation?

As a nation, Ireland cannot be too proud of its past when it comes to vulnerable children. One only has to glance at the dismal records of the Magdalene laundries and the industrial schools for a bracing reminder of exactly how the children of the nation were cherished for many decades.

Can we say in all honesty that we have learned from those terrible mistakes and improved our treatment of children as a result? This week’s MHC report says otherwise.

Reduced Vat rate no longer sustainable

At midnight, the reduced 9% VAT rate for tourism, hospitality, and some other services expired, with the Vat rate returning to 13.5%.

As might be expected, various stakeholders in the industry have called for the reduction to be maintained, arguing that it is helping them with costs. At a time when many industries are struggling to get staff, there is merit to this argument, but it is estimated to have cost the Exchequer €300m thus far.

The Vat cut was originally introduced as an aid to the sector during the pandemic. It has been extended not once but twice — in May 2022 and February this year — and this year’s extension was intended to give businesses time to adjust to the transition to the old regime.

While most of us will have sympathy for those whose businesses will suffer, and some which will close due to the rise in Vat rates, particularly small operators, it is not sustainable for Government schemes designed as emergency measures for an unparalleled and unexpected period — the pandemic — to be continued indefinitely. The pandemic wage subsidy scheme, for instance, was another necessary measure but obviously could not be maintained forever.

It must also be pointed out that public sympathy over costs in this sector may be tempered with exasperation. The pricing of hotel rooms in Dublin when concerts and other events are scheduled, for instance, has led to widespread criticism.

Independent TD Thomas Pringle called hotel price hikes “rampant price gouging... [for] almost every live event that has taken place in recent years from concerts to Ireland games to GAA finals”, and many share that sentiment.

Operators in tourism, hospitality, and related areas will no doubt point to the ongoing cost-of-living crisis as an added complication on top of the rise in Vat rates. Recruiting staff, red tape, and materials costs continue to hamper employers.

There are other industries, though, which have had to work without the extension of pandemic-era aids for the last several years, that are unlikely to commiserate.

Dissatisfaction with RTÉ does not justify illegal streaming.

Ditch the dodgy box

The furore last summer about GAAGo was notable for many things, but one unexpected effect was a growing awareness of the number of “dodgy boxes” people were using to access TV and streaming services illegally.

The increased awareness of this phenomenon has attracted the attention of the authorities, and this week notices have been sent to people in Cork, Mayo, Monaghan, Galway, Laois, Louth, and Dublin instructing them to immediately stop all illegal streaming activity or risk facing the consequences, which may include criminal prosecution.

With the ongoing RTÉ controversies leading to a growing reluctance to pay for TV licences, there may be a sense abroad that dissatisfaction with the State broadcaster somehow justifies illegal streaming.

It does not. A TV licence is a legal requirement for all citizens, and refusing to pay only makes RTÉ’s financial crisis worse, which in turn makes the likelihood of a government bailout more likely. As such a bailout would be funded by taxpayers, licence fee refuseniks would only end up paying for RTÉ anyway.

It is also interesting that any notion that the “dodgy box” is a victimless crime, a harmless misdemeanour, was strongly contradicted by the Federation Against Copyright Theft (Fact), which pointed out that consumers who pay for pirate services are often funding organised crime groups.

Making this link public shows that those who use such services are complicit in serious criminal activity, as opposed to the apparently venial sin of using a “dodgy box”.

Is watching movies and matches for free worth having that on one’s conscience?