I propose to take Questions Nos. 369 and 396 together.
I am aware that the homeless are a high risk group in relation to a number of health conditions, including mental illness. The main difficulty in relation to adult homelessness has been in the Dublin area and, in order to address this, the Eastern Regional Health Authority has appointed a director of homelessness who is working closely with the three area health boards in implementing the provisions of "Homelessness – An Integrated Strategy" published in May 2000. The work of the three area health boards includes measures to improve mental health services for people who are homeless. Since 2000 the Department of Health and Children has allocated €18.34 million to health boards to deal with homelessness with an additional €2.66 million allocated for 2003.
The recently published health strategy Quality and Fairness – A Health System for You, includes a commitment to prepare a new national policy framework for the further modernisation of mental health services. Work on the framework is expected to commence later this year. All aspects of mental health service provision, including services for the homeless, will be examined and the need for additional research in this field will be among the matters for consideration.