Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 14 May 1997

Vol. 479 No. 3

Written Answers. - Health Services.

Ivor Callely

Question:

57 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Health, further to his reply to Parliamentary Question 85 of 7 May 1997 by Deputy Callely regarding the policy document entitled, Planning for the Future, if his attention has been drawn to the fact that some health boards support the view that it is appropriate for the policy to be reviewed, particularly in view of the fact that it is 13 years since the policy was launched; and if he will instruct the health boards accordingly in view of the fact that his reply indicated that he does not believe a review of policy is necessary. [13012/97]

Minister for Health (Mr. Noonan,

Limerick East): I am not aware that any of the health boards support the view that it is appropriate that the policy enunciated in the document, Planning For The Future, on which the development of the mental health services is based, should be reviewed.

Discussions at health board level on mental health services relate to reviews of progress on service development and on the formulation of service plans. In this context the philosophy espoused in Planning for the Future is very much to the fore in the boards' determination of their future service developments.

A Green Paper on Mental Health was published in 1992 and reviewed, inter alia, the progress being made in the development of the mental health services as recommended in Planning For The Future. It lauded the scale of progress made to that date by service providers and identfied the continued provision of community residential accommodation and a review of admission procedures to psychiatric hospitals as service priorities.

In the light of the foregoing, I am satisfied that the policy enshrined in Planning for the Future is appropriate and effective and I do not consider that a review of the policy is necessary.