Vol. 561 No. 1
401 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the fact that Amnesty International has called for an urgent review of the mental health service based on quality research of needs and existing service provision; and the way in which it will operate on such an informed basis in the absence of national needs assessments. [3592/03]
The health strategy Quality and Fairness – A Health System for You included a commitment to prepare a new national policy framework for the further modernisation of mental health services. Work on this framework is expected to begin later this year. All areas of mental health policy and service provision will be examined in the course of this work and, where appropriate, additional research will be undertaken.
402 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the fact that Ireland still has a very high reliance on psychiatric beds to treat people with mental illness; and when this situation can be reversed. [3593/03]
Substantial progress has been made in recent years in ensuring that those in need of mental health services receive care and treatment in the most appropriate setting. In this regard, health boards have developed, and are continuing to develop, a modern comprehensive community-based mental health service. This has resulted in a continuing decline in the number of in-patients in recent years with a corresponding increase in the pro vision of a range of care facilities based in the community to complement in-patient services.
It is my intention to continue to accelerate the growth in alternatives to hospitalisation with the further development of community-based services through the country. Significant additional funding, both capital and revenue, has been provided by my Department in recent years for this purpose.
403 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the fact that Amnesty International has called for the comprehensive provision of a personal advocacy service to enable people with mental illness to exercise and vindicate their rights; and when this facility will be available to each and every person who needs it in this very vulnerable population in view of the fact that a pilot project has been developed in conjunction with the Irish Advocacy Network. [3594/03]
The Government has made clear its support of the development of advocacy services in Ireland by its commitment, contained in the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness, to assist initiatives to provide independent advocacy services for people who are involuntarily detained under the provisions of the new Mental Health Act 2001. When the Act is fully operational, the Mental Health Commission will be required to operate a scheme to provide legal aid to patients whose detention is being reviewed by a mental health tribunal, thus providing legal advocacy to patients.
Some groups in the voluntary sector including the Irish Advocacy Network, have been providing advocacy services to patients and families of the mentally ill for some time. The expertise of the voluntary agencies in this area will be of great benefit in the further development of such services in the coming years. Some €251,000 was provided by my Department to health boards and voluntary agencies for the development of independent advocacy services in 2002. This figure included €127,000 which was provided to the Irish Advocacy Network. An additional €50,000 was provided to Irish Advocacy Network for 2003.
Question No. 404 answered with Question No. 178.
Questions Nos. 405 and 406 answered with Question No. 104.
