Camillus Glynn (Fianna Fail)

In one sense I welcome the report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse and in another I regret that it was necessary to have to produce such a report. We must deal with the reality of the issue. I ask the Leader to devote at least one day, if not two days, to the report as soon as possible. I and many Senators on all sides of the House will have much to say on it.

With regard to services for children and adolescents, I largely agree with some of the comments that have been made. In my town, Mullingar, there is an outpatient service for children and adolescents. When it is necessary to admit an adolescent, he or she is admitted pro tempore to the main hospital pending the allocation of a bed in a suitable location. Children are admitted to the paediatric ward of the Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar, until a suitable bed is found.

Since the publication of the document, The Psychiatric Services---Planning for the Future, by an official of the then Department of Health during the term of the Government led by Dr. Garret FitzGerald, and the subsequent publication of A Vision for Change, it is regrettable that under successive administrations the resources have not been given to the psychiatric services to ensure the devolution from hospital to community took place, although in the main it has been successful. In some cases, however, it left a lot to be desired.