Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I do not doubt the sincerity on the issue of the Minister of State, Deputy Catherine Byrne.

The Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, did a good job in chairing the meeting last night but from a HSE perspective, it was not constructive at all. The continuation of that unit in Castlerea, which is vital for the mental health services in County Roscommon, looks doubtful.

The capacity in that excellent centre, which is in a fine building, is 33. The HSE has deliberately refused to take new people in over a period of two years. It is now down to 12. It looks like they will let people go until there is nobody left and they close it down.

I will go back briefly to the independent report, which, as I stated, was a shocking indictment of the situation in Roscommon, and give the Minister of State, Deputy Catherine Byrne, a few facts from it to remind her of what happened.

In 2012, the HSE returned €4.57 million in funding from Roscommon. In 2013, it sent back €6.91 million. In 2014, it sent back €6.19 million. Therefore, €17 million, which figure Deputy Byrne herself will be shocked with, was sent back by the HSE out of the mental health services in Roscommon when it was under pressure.

Sixty staff, including some excellent front-line staff, were interviewed as part of that review. They were outspoken about some things that were going on. They want the service to improve. They want a proper service for the people.

We must make the HSE realise that it is dealing with very vulnerable people, as Deputy Catherine Byrne herself well knows. As I stated, I am aware Deputy Byrne does a lot of work like this in her own constituency.

These are vulnerable people. I ask Deputy Byrne to bring back the message from me that the HSE should not continue to treat people in my constituency, who have in many cases mild mental health issues and need support and need help, like this.

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