Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing us to raise this matter this evening. The Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, already knows my views on this matter. She has visited the St. Michael's unit at our request and we have had painless discussions on it.

I am not going to repeat what Deputy Tom Hayes has just said. However, I appeal to the Minister of State to honour her commitment that all community-based facilities are in place before the unit is closed. So far, it has not happened. In a recent article, a consultant in Clonmel described the closure of this unit as medical apartheid.

The Minister of State knows better than I do the number of public servants in the health services who applied for retirement today. Even before these retirements came into play, south Tipperary did not have the staff for community-based mental health services it requires. I recently visited the replacement facility for St. Senan's in Wexford which was so new the paint was still wet. While I thank the staff for facilitating our visit, the unit has not been up and running for several weeks and we have no experience of how it works. Communities in south Tipperary have no reassurance as to how such a community-based approach will work for them. We are in favour of A Vision for Change but not in the selective manner the Minister of State has introduced it.

In the last Topical Issue matter, the Minister of State accused Deputy Kirk of scaremongering. Will she rebut the claim she told the deputation of users and family carers from south Tipperary that the decision to close the unit was not set in stone but set in blood? I hope these remarks were taken out of context. To say it, however, to mental health service users and their carers would be inappropriate. I note the Minister of State's official did not deny she might have said it.

A new development now is that no patient will be admitted to St. Michael's after the end of February. Instead, they will be sent on to facilities in Kilkenny. This will diminish further the standing and staff of South Tipperary General Hospital. This is a significant issue which already has seen 14,000 people on the streets protesting. They will be on them again. Two taoisigh, Brian Cowen, and Deputy Kenny have met deputations on this matter. All we want is a reasonable amount of fair play and a full assurance that replacement facilities will be put in place.

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