Mary Henry (Independent)

I am delighted to see the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Deputy Tim O'Malley, here again. We are going over old ground which I have gone over with the Minister of State at the Department of Finance since the last time Deputy O'Malley was here.

The Deputy may not remember, but Mary Tudor was described as having had "Calais" on her heart when she died. I am beginning to think that I will have "Central Mental Hospital" inscribed on mine because of the situation there which I consider serious. This Minister of State has at least visited the hospital to see the dreadful conditions there, whereas many of the Ministers have not. I have repeatedly called for the attention of the Seanad and of the Ministers for Health and Children and Justice, Equality and Law Reform to be brought to the appalling conditions obtaining in the Central Mental Hospital.

Vulnerable mentally ill people, some of whom have hallucinations, delusions or serious depression, reside in that hospital. They all have serious forms of mental illness. Some are there because they committed crimes but a number are there because they had to be committed before they did something that would cause grievous injury to themselves or other members of the public.

The Central Mental Hospital is a truly dreadful institution. I cannot praise its staff enough but at least they can go home in the evenings. However, patients incarcerated there cannot. The hospital is supposed to be the forensic psychiatry flagship in Ireland. The patients are incarcerated in what I, and most people, would consider a non-therapeutic environment. We must remember that these people are considered to be ill. We are supposed to be trying to treat them so that their medical condition improves. I am encouraged that the Minister of State's professional background gives him a good insight into psychiatric illness.