Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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Question 657: To ask the Minister for Health if he will issue a comprehensive report on plans to move the Central Mental Hospital from Dundrum to St. Ita's in Portrane, including costs and timescale for same; and the impact this will have on St. Joseph's service already operating in the area. [10704/12]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Funding is included in the HSE Capital Plan to provide for planned infrastructural developments for the National Forensic Mental Health Service. These include the development of a new 120 bed hospital to replace the Central Mental Hospital (CMH), the development of a 10 bed Intellectual Disability Forensic Mental Health Unit, a 10 bed Child and Adolescent Forensic Mental Health Unit, as well as four regional Intensive Care Rehabilitation Units (ICRUs).

It is planned to build the new CMH, the Intellectual Disability and Child and Adolescent Forensic Mental Health Units at Portrane, Co Dublin. The HSE has sought expressions of interest for the design team for this project and it is hoped that work on the design will commence in the coming months. It is envisaged that construction will start in 2014 and the facility will be completed and operational by 2016.

The regional ICRUs will be located at appropriate locations around the country and will serve as a gateway between the community mental health service and the forensic service. One of the ICRUs will be located at Portrane and a decision on the regional locations for the remaining three units will be finalised shortly.

I have asked the HSE to reply directly to the Deputy regarding the impact, if any, this development will have on St. Joseph's.