Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)

I thank the Technical Group, the Independents and the various people who contributed to the debate on the motion because as the previous speaker said, we need advocates in society to speak about our mental health or our emotional well-being. It is important that we recognise our emotional well-being, and it is not just about different groups or people speaking themselves. It is us speaking as well, which is very important because we deem ourselves to be the representatives of the people and as most contributors said, one in four of us will experience emotional difficulties at some point in our lives. We must speak for them as well.

There is no doubt that mental health has been the Cinderella of the health service and that there have been shortcomings in terms of the delivery of service. I met Barry Desmond at Dublin Castle the other night and he said he had heard I had got his old job to which I replied, "Yes, and I think everyone else's as well". When I saw this motion had been tabled I checked it out because it deals with an issue that was very close to me. I still have a copy of Barry Desmond's Planning for the Future, which was published in 1984. Planning for the Future and A Vision for Change are quite similar. It is not that we do not know what needs to be done, we do. The stigma that has been attached to the issue of emotional well-being and good mental health is such that we have not spoken out or been free with our comments. I am accustomed to citing the words of Barbara Brennan who stood up in front of 600 people and said: "I am Barbara and I am bipolar." When none of us reacted to her statement she asked whether we would find it peculiar if she had stood up and said: "I am Barbara and I am chest infection." We would have found it peculiar had she done so.

The manner in which we judge people who have emotional difficulties or whose mental health is not great at certain points is a problem. We need to keep saying this. I speak aloud about this issue as often as possible because that is the only way to get a reaction. We used to talk about cancer by placing our hands over mouths and saying someone had the "big C" or "the other thing". We did so because we did not understand the disease and were not aware that early detection and proper intervention could cure it. We understand this now and we must reach a similar understanding in terms of mental health. We must keep talking about the issue which is not alien but part of us.

My predecessors, including Mr. John Moloney, Mr. Tim O'Malley and Mr. Barry Desmond, knew what the issue was. As Deputy Pringle stated, it is very much about society. I speak to people about different issues and I am often asked how one gets elected. The great progress that has been in society has not come from this House. Although we eventually legislated in certain areas, the progress was made by groups outside who pushed us to introduce the relevant legislation. This is a societal issue which no Government can address on its own. My predecessor, Mr. John Moloney, was as committed to A Vision for Change as I am. Sometimes, however, the time is not right. I believe this is the right time.

A Vision for Change was widely welcomed when it was first introduced. Everyone agreed it was the way forward, as they did in respect of the Planning for the Future strategy. Although implementation has been slower than expected, significant progress has been made in closing the old, traditional psychiatric hospitals and providing more acute inpatient facilities. The closures include up to 12 such institutions such as the famous St. Ita's and St. Brendan's hospitals in Dublin as well as smaller hospitals in every region. Where the hospital has not been closed, at a minimum it will not accept new admissions. We must be conscious that institutions become home for those who have been in them long-term. It is important, therefore, to be careful about how we move such people on. In that regard, I recognise that all the contributions have been sensitive and well researched.

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