Seanad debates
Wednesday, 16 April 2003
Central Mental Hospital: Motion.
The truth is that, as in all our psychiatric services, there are superb people working in the Central Mental Hospital. Psychiatry is a very difficult and demanding area in which to work, and it is also emotionally demanding. To work in physical conditions of the kind that exist in the Central Mental Hospital must be an even greater burden on people. As I said previously to the Minister of State, Deputy Tim O'Malley, I am reluctant to make the sort of political speech about the psychiatric services or about the Central Mental Hospital that I would about many other areas because I do believe we need to build a strong political consensus that these are right things to do because they are needed. The Government will get no extra votes for refurbishing the Central Mental Hospital and it will lose no votes for not doing it, but I happen to believe, whatever I might say politically from time to time, that there are enough decent people in all the political parties to recognise that this is an issue which needs to be prioritised.
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