Neasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party)
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615. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 638 of 5 October 2021, 691 of 29 November 2022, 1553 of 18 January 2023, 204 of 15 February 2023, 1153 of 21 March 2023 and 1453 of 18 April 2023, the reason for a lack of any detail on staffing levels or basic service-planning for a new facility in Midleton, County Cork that will accommodate three residents with severe and enduring mental health difficulties (details supplied); how families whose relatives have already been offered placements in this service can be expected to make an informed decision on those offers in the absence of this information; the number of staff that will be deployed to the service on a day-to-day basis; if those regular staff who are on site daily will include psychiatric nurses or healthcare assistants or both; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21507/23]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Neasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party)
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616. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 596 of 25 April 2023, if he will provide details of any follow-up consultation that the Mental Health Commission may have had with residents who reported to the commission that they were happy to move from the Owenacurra Centre, Midleton and satisfied with their new placements; in particular, the number of follow-up consultations and the time that had elapsed since they had made this transition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21518/23]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The Mental Health Commission (MHC) is an independent statutory body, established under the Mental Health Act 2001.

The Commission’s principal functions are to promote, encourage, and foster the establishment and maintenance of high standards and good practices in the delivery of mental health services and to take all reasonable steps to protect the interests of persons detained in approved centres under the Act.

Department officials directed this query to the Mental Health Commission and the following is their response:

"Residents who moved to other approved centres, which the Inspector has inspected since their move, were invited to speak with Inspectors during the inspection. Residents advised the Inspector directly that they were happy with their move and were very complimentary of the service at their new residence”.

Neasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party)
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617. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 602 of 25 April 2023, the reason the Mental Health Commission has declined a request from the Oireachtas Committee on Health to comment on the provision of community residential mental health placement serving the combined HSE catchments of the Cobh/Glenville and Midleton/Youghal adult mental health teams (details supplied); his views on the Commission's lack of comment on the HSE's removal of the majority of east Cork's residential placement provision over the coming years without having an interim placement arrangement in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21519/23]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The Mental Health Commission (MHC) is an independent statutory body, established under the Mental Health Act 2001.

The Commission’s principal functions are to promote, encourage, and foster the establishment and maintenance of high standards and good practices in the delivery of mental health services and to take all reasonable steps to protect the interests of persons detained in approved centres under the Act.

Department officials directed this query to the Mental Health Commission and the following is their response:

“The MHC replied to a request from the Oireachtas Committee on Health on 11 November 2022, at which time it was stated that this is a matter for the HSE as the MHC has no statutory remit to set targets for service provision.

"For information, the Inspector of Mental Health Services has powers under the Mental Health Acts 2001–2018 to carry out reviews from time to time and to report on various aspects of the care and treatment given to people in receipt of mental health services in the State. The report entitled ‘Rehabilitation and Recovery Mental Health Services in Ireland 2018/2019’ was one such report and reflected ‘point-in-time’ findings based on fieldwork conducted across 2018 and 2019. In general, the Inspector’s reports, based on these national reviews, are aimed at informing national policy and improvements, which will benefit all citizens. The content of such periodic, thematic reviews does not enable the MHC to make informed commentary or set targets with regard to ongoing resource allocation decisions, both of which are matters for the HSE.”

Neasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party)
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618. To ask the Minister for Health the amount of capital funding applied for by Cork HSE management in respect of the development of a ten-bed residential mental health service in Midleton, County Cork; the date this capital funding was applied for and for the managers making this application and the managers deciding on the proposals; if he will provide details of the level of communication that has taken place thus far on this proposal between HSE management and with any other stakeholders; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21520/23]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.