Vol. 545 No. 4
262 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the fact that 5% of the school population suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; if his attention has further been drawn to the difficulties that a person (details supplied) in County Sligo has encountered when her two children were diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30766/01]
The First Report of the Working Group on Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, published in March 2001, agreed that the prevalence of ADHD/HKD in Ireland can be estimated at somewhere between 1% and 5% of school-age children aged five to 15 years. The report emphasised that the treatment of ADHD/HKD is an integral component of the provision of a comprehensive child and adolescent psychiatric service and recommended the enhancement and expansion of the overall child and adolescent psychiatric service throughout the country as the most effective means of providing the required services for this group. The recently published health strategy, "Quality and Fairness – A Health System for You", includes a commitment to the implementation of the recommendations of the working group's report.
