Martin Mansergh (Fianna Fail)

I move amendment No. 1:

To delete all words and substitute the following:

"That Seanad Éireann confirms its support for the proposal of the Minister of State at the Department of Finance to use funds raised by the sale of Office of Public Works (OPW) property at Lad Lane in Dublin in the manner set out by him in his recent statement namely: the funding of fit-out works for regional office space taken by Office of Public Works for the National Educational Psychology Service to accelerate the expansion of the service; the purchase of leaseholds of properties currently occupied by the state on a long term/permanent basis to reduce the ongoing Office of Public Works rent roll into the future; the purchase of sites for the Garda building programme to accelerate the provision of new Garda stations across the country; to provide additional funding towards the Garda maintenance programme to improve the working conditions at many Garda stations throughout the country."

I warmly welcome the Minister of State to the House, fresh from a successful party conference. We have managed to work together very well over the past five or six years and I look forward to doing so in the future, despite any suggestion there may be to the contrary.

I welcome the opportunity to discuss the matter that Senator Henry has brought up. Other colleagues of mine will respond in more detail on the health matters. It is a hybrid motion, relating to finance and health. Nonetheless, on the health aspect, I have no doubt whatsoever of the priority we have to give to the improvement of physical and mental disability services. I am not personally familiar with the Central Mental Hospital but from all I have read about it during the years, and from what I have heard this evening from Senator Henry, it all suggests – without casting any aspersions on the good work there, as I am referring only to the hospital's facilities – that it is not something which in its present state we can be terribly proud of.

I support the spirit of what Senator Henry intends, and I understand that the various authorities in the Eastern Area Health Board, the Departments of Justice Equality and Law Reform and of Health and Children and others have been working together and have produced reports involving plans to refurbish, modernise and extend the hospital building, and indeed to provide a new residence on the campus. It is clear that this is regarded as a priority, and I am sure that when the plans are ready, plans which have in principle been accepted, this will proceed and be given the proper priority.