Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)
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Question 110: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the policy of her Department on providing health care and support services to sufferers of eating disorders; and the eating disorders services offered to children and adolescents in the Cork and Kerry area. [38328/06]

Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)
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Question 111: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the eating disorders services offered to adults in the Cork and Kerry area. [38329/06]

Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)
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Question 112: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if a policy is being pursued and resources are provided by her Department to allow family therapy services to be made available to sufferers of eating disorders. [38330/06]

Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)
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Question 113: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if it is the responsibility of the Health Service Executive south east to pay for people from the Cork and Kerry area to avail of private care, that is, psychotherapy or a bed on a private eating disorders programme in St. Patrick's Hospital, Dublin or St. John of God Hospital, Stillorgan; the extent to which such expenditure occurs; and the way persons can apply for this funding. [38331/06]

Tim O'Malley (Limerick East, Progressive Democrats)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 110 to 113, inclusive, together.

The future direction and delivery of all aspects of our mental health services, including services for persons with eating disorders, were considered by the expert group on mental health policy. The group's report entitled "A Vision for Change" was published in January 2006. The report has been accepted by Government as the basis for the development of a modern, high quality mental health service over the next 7 to 10 years.

"A Vision for Change" acknowledges gaps in the current provision of mental health services for persons with eating disorders and makes several recommendations for the further improvement of these services. Recommendations include support for health promotion initiatives that encourage greater community and family awareness of eating disorders, the further development of primary and community care service and the provision of a full multidisciplinary team in a national centre for eating disorders for complex cases that cannot be managed by local child and adolescent community mental health teams.

The Health Service Executive has established an implementation group to plan and manage the full implementation of "A Vision for Change". An independent monitoring group has also been established to monitor progress in implementing the report's recommendations and will report to me on an annual basis.

Overall responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services was assigned to the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004 and funding for all health services has been provided as part of its overall vote. Therefore, the executive is the appropriate body to consider the particular questions raised by the Deputy. My Department has requested the parliamentary affairs division of the executive to arrange to have the matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.