Phil Prendergast (Labour)

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Moloney, for attending the House to take this matter. I sought this debate to register the anger of Tipperary people at a plan that was announced last week to close the county's only acute mental health facility. I am talking about the entire county, comprising both the North and South Ridings. It is the only county in Ireland which is so divided.

There are countless reasons why this plan is neither feasible nor reasonable. In the limited time available I will outline some of them to the House. I draw the Minister of State's attention to the conduct of HSE South officials in this matter, who I believe are acting outside their powers in formulating this plan. Last week, lead clinicians at St. Michael's were stunned when they were told at a regular meeting of HSE officials that the 49-bed unit would be shut by the end of the year. A media release to this effect was later issued by HSE South confirming that acute services were to move to Kilkenny. This decision is completely at odds with practice and procedure in reconfiguring health services. It is not in keeping with the recommendations of the Mental Health Commission's report on services in South Tipperary, which was published last April. I think the Minister of State had some knowledge of that. It is not compliant either with A Vision for Change, nor the many other HSE documents that were published concerning reconfiguring mental health services, both regionally and nationally.

The aforementioned HSE South's media release contained a litany of bogus claims, none more so than the statement that a process of consultation had taken place with stakeholders. That was a blatant lie, actually.