Brendan Daly (Fianna Fail)

I congratulate the Minister of State, Deputy Tim O'Malley, on his appointment and wish him well in his endeavours in the Department of Health and Children. I also thank him for the work he did as a member of the Mid-Western Health Board. He made a very big contribution towards the development of services, in particular psychiatric services, in the mid-west. I compliment him and the health board on the outstanding new facility that has replaced Our Lady's Hospital, Ennis, which at one stage catered for 800 patients and has now been closed. Many of those who are chronically ill have been transferred to new units built in places like Spanish Point and Kilrush, which is a dramatic change for them.

When I visited the unit in Spanish Point recently, I was amazed to hear that some of the patients had relatives come to visit them who never did so in the other institution, which had that stigma attached to it mentioned by so many other speakers. There is now a magnificent new facility attached to the general hospital in Ennis which is a credit to the health board and the Department of Health and Children. This is the kind of facility one would like to see provided elsewhere. I ask the Minister of State to intervene in the dispute there that is creating some irritation for people at reception, but it is a minor matter that can be resolved.

I draw the attention of the Minister of State to the work being done by Professor Pat McKeown in St. Patrick's, Dublin with the AWARE organisation which has been working in a voluntary capacity with the help of RTÉ, the media and other commercial organisations in creating a greater awareness of the illness of depression mentioned by Senator Hayes. The support it is getting is very small. It has been able to obtain some lottery funding to undertake the work it wishes to do. Professor McKeown has done outstanding work in this area, on which I compliment him. I also draw attention to the necessity of creating a greater awareness in the community about depression.