Joe O'Reilly: Pledges No Waiting Lists for CAMHS, Urges Reform

So at the outset, I might salute the first speaker of the day, the person who took the chair, the father of the house, the new father of the house, and indeed, in so doing, recognise the former father of the house, Senator Paddy Burke, who had very strong cabin connections. But the current father of the house, we're very proud to say, is a cabin man, Senator Dermot Wilson, and to say that he is indeed a person of very high calibre and integrity, and a person who brings very good values to politics. And it's appropriate that somebody like that should stand the electoral test of time. And she'll be here to show that there is a place for integrity and decency in politics. I would like to congratulate you, Senator Daly, on your election for the chair. I worked alongside you in the past as Lasker Heerlich, and we did a lot of good reforming work together. And one I'm distinctly proud of that I was involved in and took specific responsibility for, as Lasker Heerlich, was the integration of our European MEPs into the governing process here. And that we had a number of seminars here with the MEPs and interaction with the members of the Shannon to great effect. And it was bringing the Shannon into the European model and vice versa. And it was a very real reform of the Shannon. And I salute you for that, Senator Daly. And I, no doubt, but you will continue in a similar vein this time. In that regard, I want to pay tribute to your predecessor, Senator Gerry Buttermore, and congratulate him on his elevation to ministerial office now. I wish him well, and I know that he will bring an extraordinary skill set to that, and a lot of experience, and there is no substitute for that. I want to congratulate my good friend and colleague, who again brings extraordinary experience from the time he was demoted into the lower house, right through local government, etc. My good friend and colleague, Sean Kine, to the leadership of the house. I must say that in the last Shannon, I majored on, from the very outset, the pernicious addiction that gambling is in this country. I advocated for a gambling regulator and anti-gambling legislation, curbing the advertising, etc. I received great support in that exercise, and we became a trio doing it week in, week out, from Senator Shane Castles, who made a great contribution to this chamber, and from Senator Mark Wall, who, despite his demotion to the lower house, I wish him well, and he is one of the fine people to wait here, and Senator Wall, we did that. I just want to put you on note as leader, and indeed you, Caira, that I have decided that this term, I want to major on, and I think it's important, I did hear it alluded to my colleague from Cavan, Senator Tully, but I want to say that I'm going to major on this term, on the waiting list for CAMHS, the structure of CAMHS, the need for the fact that if any young person needs support, professional support, that there should be no waiting list. There should be within a very instant call. I similarly want to put an emphasis in this term, on the need for our young people to be called for tests, for autism, for dyslexia, for dyspraxia, for a range of issues that arise in school and elsewhere, and that there be tests. Now, I think we have to think outside the box in this sphere. We have to look north, we have to look west, as we did in other spheres, to use professionals there, we have to use the private sector. And we have to look at people of less qualification, doing some of these tests. There's a manual for many of these tests, there's a set of questions, there's a set of signs, and it doesn't necessarily take somebody with a couple of PhDs in psychology to administer the tests. And we're going to have to be imaginative here. And we're going to have to do something, so there will be no waiting list for CAMHS, there will be no waiting list for autism, and there will be no waiting list for people for a range of tests for neurological conditions, etc. And that's my big issue for this term, and I want to tell my good friend Senator Kine that he will hear virtually every week from me on this, and I will be insisting, and we have debates on this. I think it behoves a country of the level of wealth that we have now, and this republic, this great republic, of which we're collectively proud, and which we collectively feel a very real ownership of, a very real stake in, a very real part of building. But that this great republic, with the wealth that it has at this stage, would have such a crying shame as people on waiting lists, as people waiting for support from CAMHS when there's an appalling vista could arise if they don't get it. We cannot have a wealthy society like this, and that aberration there, and I won't be standing for it, and I know that most members of the House will be similar. I might, we have all sounded, and we do, on a day like this, it's a very special day for us. Of course, I want to congratulate all the veterans. I want to congratulate all the new people, wonderful new people, who bring enormous talent and vitality, and new beginnings, and a new energy, if you like, to the shan, and I want to welcome them. I want to say that if we claim Senator Cosgrove, and I do know her extended family in Coothill very well, they're actually friends of mine, I was talking to your uncle the other day. If we claim her to Cavanmonan, which we could legitimately do, we actually have one-tenth of the shan in Cavanmonan. But can I just say, as we sound personal notes today, and it is an emotional occasion, a special occasion, it's a huge honour for each of us, but just as it's a huge honour, it's a huge responsibility, and we have a duty. But in that context of family and welcoming people, I want to welcome my two wonderful sons, Owen and Dara, to the Visitor's Gallery today. They've been an enormous support to me. In practical terms, right through this campaign, my son Owen was making phone calls to friends of his for me, my son Dara was writing literature for me, and making sure it got into envelopes. He's smarter than I am, so you get the talented people to do what they're good at. So, but to get to the point, I'm very proud they're here, I want to especially welcome them. But I want to say, let us all decide that we're here for the common good. Let this be the first day of a great working shan in, when we will bring about real change for people, and when lives will be better because of us. Thank you, Senator. Thank you. Thank you.