Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)

I agree it should not be part of the prison complex and neither will it be. However, the worst case scenario for the residents of the Central Mental Hospital would be to leave them where they are. I understand the conditions there are very unsatisfactory for 2005. The Minister of State, Deputy Tim O'Malley, has given a commitment to meet the interested parties on this matter, and he will do that. However, the Government made the decision based on what we believed to be an appropriate facility that could be located on one large parcel of land.

Some 150 acres is a considerable parcel of land to be able to acquire so close to the capital. We decided it would be better to acquire the 150 acres, if we could get them, to provide two separate and distinct facilities in that area. There are many examples of public hospitals located close to existing prisons and no one ever suggests there is a link between them. We must be reasonable, given all the circumstances. Land in the greater Dublin area is not easy to come by. It is not just a question of economics, it is a question of trying to find an enormous parcel of land so that the Central Mental Hospital can have its own stand-alone modern state-of-the-art facility while on a different location, albeit close by, there is a modern prison. It should be possible to do that within the confines of 150 acres, with separate entrances and complexes. I cannot believe that it is impossible, given the modern engineering and architectural designs at our disposal.

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