Mr. Tony Canavan:

I will call on one of my clinical colleagues to answer after I reply. First, it is not possible to provide beds in every single location. Second, it is not the bed that is important but the quality of the staff and clinical team who provide care to the patient. It is difficult to provide such a service in many locations. The decision to centralise the service in a relatively small number of locations probably matches that view.

Like many of our services, there is a need for greater focus on the provision of care in the community, as pointed out by my colleagues, and in people's homes as opposed to providing inpatient care. For example, it is possible that the vast majority of the CAMHS requirement for people in Donegal, if we deem the county to be one of the furthest away, are provided in Donegal. It is better for the very small number of people who require inpatient care that it is provided in Galway. I do not know if there is a more qualified answer to that.