Máire Hoctor (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)

As Senator Fitzgerald has outlined, the report into the inquiry under section 55 of the Mental Health Act 2001 into the services at St. Luke's Hospital and St. Michael's unit in Clonmel highlighted very significant deficiencies in the mental health services in Clonmel. The report highlighted the aspects of the service provision and was described as being unacceptable in a modern mental health setting.

The Clonmel service requires considerable development. However, we are advised that sufficient staffing resources are already in place in the region to enable the adult mental health services to be reconfigured and reorganised in line with Government policy as set out in the document A Vision for Change. I welcome the fact a detailed project plan for the development of mental health services in south Tipperary, which will be time bound and have clear lines of responsibility for implementation, will be submitted by the HSE to the Mental Health Commission.

The Department of Health and Children will work with the HSE and the Mental Health Commission to ensure that any issues arising from the inquiry are properly addressed. The publication of the report demonstrates the robustness of the Mental Health Act 2001 and the independence which the Mental Health Commission has. It has an important role in safeguarding the standards and quality of care in mental health services.

Mental health services are the responsibility of the Minister of State, Deputy John Moloney, although it is in the same Department and there are a number of older people in those facilities in Clonmel. It is an area of interest for me.

The Senator had other questions. With regard to the development of guidelines on elder abuse, we have made great strides with the HSE in the upskilling and training of staff and trainees in the medical field and public health nurses in particular to be able to identify the symptoms of elder abuse. I was in Galway last year for the launch of a HSE DVD for distribution to the training courses of personnel within the HSE so symptoms could be clearly identified and training and upskilling done. That is one of the areas in which great progress has been made.

There are very clear guidelines for the managers and employees of such facilities. Every employee is aware of the procedure to be taken and through the regulations, employees feel they will be supported if they report what they believe to be abuse. Procedures will be followed so that a person suspected of inappropriate action is given every opportunity to articulate his or her point of view of the experience. It is important that action is taken in the interests of fairness and, ultimately, the interests of the patient or the resident in a residential setting.

I have mentioned the community support scheme and the withdrawal of the funding is a disappointment, although I understand the reasoning behind this. There has never been as much consultation with our parliamentary party as there was regarding the budget which was announced yesterday. There was a very clear voice for older and vulnerable people, along with their carers. The relevant Department — it was not the Department of Health and Children — made what was indicated as being a very tough decision, which I accept.

I know many older people have benefited over the years from this scheme, an average of 10,000 per year. The Minister of State, Deputy Curran, in his decision making with the Minister, Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív, indicated it was a suspension of the scheme for the moment. Many schemes have been suspended across Departments but not abolished. I will make contact with that Department to ask that the issue be addressed again and to see that the funding be restored as soon as possible for this very important scheme.