My putting down this matter has been prompted by a longstanding desire on the part of many people to see an end to a sad deadlocked situation which has resulted in the much needed £12 million complex in Swinford for the mentally handicapped, known as Aras Attracta, remaining unopen since it's completion in 1985. On behalf of all Mayo people I want to thank the Minister for his commitment to the health services in Mayo.
We listened to Senator Killilea on the motion on the economy which has just ended decrying the lack of expenditure in the west. This is one of the great fallacies that has always been perpetrated by the Opposition Party. I want to record publicly the appreciation of the people of County Mayo of the Minister for his commitment in making the necessary funds available for the work at Aras Attracta in order to bring it to a fruitful conclusion and for the manner in which he has given the green light to the general hospital in Castlebar. After years of empty rhetoric it is significant that it was the present Minister, who has often been painted by the Opposition as the bête noire of the Cabinet, who made the money available to make this a reality. I regret that the time-honoured precedent and protocol of having the Minister involved do the honours on the occasion of the foundation-laying ceremony was thwarted by nothing other than a usurpation and an act of political sabotage of the cheapest kind.
The development of Aras Attracta in Swinford is evidence of this Government's commitment. The development of the idea since it was first conceived by the Western Health Board on 2 December 1974 has been singularly successful. In January 1982 the Department of Health approved the proposed development and work commenced in March 1983. When work was completed in May 1985 there was on site a full and comprehensive range of facilities. We have now at Swinford the central assessment clinic for the Mayo-north Roscommon area, an assessment clinic for the people who will be privileged to be patients in this facility, residential accommodation for 140 severely handicapped adults and 50 children, residential accommodation in 16 brand new fully equipped bungalows of ten beds each, plus a 30 bed unit for non-ambulant persons of multiple handicap.
Again, we have a further short term unit to accommodate six patients in the case of crisis relief being needed. We have a children's day care unit for 70 children, and 50 places for those in residence. We have three self-contained flats to enable one or both parents of children undergoing assessment to be part and parcel of the process, and to be rightfully with their progeny while this particular assessment is being carried out. We have an infirmity and a crisis relief centre which will provide 12 places for residents who will be committed from time to time. We have an adult day care centre for 40 residents, and ten day attenders. We have a sheltered workshop capable of accommodating 200 people between residents and day attenders. We have a vocational training unit for the provision of vocational training for 50 patients. We have a nurse training school for 90 nurses, that is, an intake of 30 per annum. We have physiotherapy, a swimming pool, gymnasium, shopping arcade, etc. We have a full community comprehensive range of facilities for children and mentally handicapped adults.
It is a marvellous facility. Of course, there is the consideration for the Swinford area of 204 plus staff at Aras Attracta with the contingency to provide 64 community-based services outside. Naturally, there was a great sense of delight and euphoria, and a great sense of expectation that, once the much needed physical fabric and accommodation had been provided, everything would be on-stream for a fairly immediate and short term opening. Unfortunately, the badly-needed facility has lain idle and empty. Yesterday's Western People, page one, sets in perspective the need for this facility. It is headed “The problem facing Eileen and others.” It reads:
Eileen is severely mentally and physically handicapped. Home for her is with aging parents who have pandered to her every need during her lifetime spanning 30 years. Now in their declining years they have urged Western Care Association to accept her as a resident in a group home. For Eileen — this is not her real name — there is a problem. Western Care know that £15,000 will be needed each year to support her in one of their facilities. The State will, however, agree to have Eileen accepted as a resident in a psychiatric hospital, even though her handicaps are not of a psychiatric or mental nature. Said a spokesman for the Western Care Association——
There are seven people like Eileen on our books who are depending on organisation to cater for their needs. We can make available constant care and physiotherapy in one of the homes, but the State will not pay for her keep in one of our group homes.
It is obvious that the problem here is that Eileen is not a psychiatric patient but, in fact, is a mentally handicapped patient and that a psychiatric institution, which has very often been the home for such people in the past, is manifestly unsuitable for the type of disability or handicap she has. This deadlock arises not for the want of money but, again, from a conflict of aspirations in relation to the management and the running of the facilities. First of all, the desire on the part of the statutory authority, the Western Health Board, is that they, in fact, should provide the management, administration and the running of the centre.
I want to fully commend the Western Health Board for the manner in which they have provided and administered the range of services in the Western Health Board area. There is a comprehensive conglomeration of services, ranging from three general hospitals in Galway, Castlebar and Roscommon, psychiatric hospitals again in Ballinasloe and Castlebar and an adjunct to the Regional Hospital in Galway. There is the full range of geriatric hospitals in Castlebar, Galway, etc., with other numerous outpatient services. Unfortunately, when it comes to the area of mental handicap the Western Health Board, for all their experience in those other areas, have not the necessary experience in this area which requires a particular sensitivity — and all health services require particular sensitivities — for the wellbeing of the patients.
It is, of course, the right of the Western Health Board to seek to run all facilities. What I question is the wisdom of taking on board additional responsibilities, new dimensions and new areas at a time of greatly expanding services and of new and exciting developments within the existing health services.
On the other hand, we have the Western Care Association, which is a Mayo-based organisation, started initially as the Parents and Friends of the Mentally Handicapped. Its initial title is central to the type of service they provide. They provide a marvellous service for the mentally handicapped children and the mentally handicapped adults of Mayo, relying a lot on the backup, support and supportive stance of the parents and of the community. In 1978 the Western Care Association were given complete charge of the children's units. This, in itself, was recognition of the association's knowledge, experience and expertise in the provision of services for the mentally handicapped. Today, the Western Care Association have four magnificent well-run schools for children, six homes for children and pre-school community services. For adults, they provide seven day training centres and 13 homes. I have had experience myself of being in some of these homes and seeing the voluntary community input, something that cannot be bought with money, but something that is irreplacable in terms of benefit to the patients and the children therein. They are a very professional organisation providing the full range of psychological, social work, physiotherapy, speech therapy and community back-up services of various sorts and descriptions. The full and comprehensive knowledge of mental handicap is the lot and, indeed, the rightful claim of the Western Care Association. The voluntary support structures they provide would be very difficult to acquire on the part of the statutory organisation for all their good intentions and for all their track record and wellbeing.
The Western Health Board have a statutory right to run the support services and the new complex in Swinford. They have a proven record in certain areas of the health services. The Western Care Association have a proven record, the confidence and the support of the parents and the guardians of the children and the people who are involved. It is obvious that if there is to be a successful embarkation on this project, there will have to be a substantial input by the Western Care Association by right, not merely in an advisory role but, indeed, in an executive and management role. Every mentally handicapped child in Mayo has come through their screening, has come up through the system and has benefited from the training under the Western Care Association. They have set their documentation, their brief and their submission down very conclusively and they are very hard to refute. I would point out to the Minister that when this issue came up on two occasions at Western Health Board level, this submission by the Western Care Association received the unanimous support of all the public representatives of all parties from County Mayo on the Western Health Board. This is proof itself of the groundswell of opinion at community level and at public representative level for the submission of the Western Care Association.
I ask the Minister, in conclusion, to clarify one point for me. It has been alleged time and time again that the money is not available. I have with me a letter from the chief executive of the Western Health Board in response to a query I made on 22 October and he says:
Further to your enquiry of 22 inst. herein I wish to advise you that the present position is that an application dated 13 October, 1986, has been submitted to the Department of Health for the necessary funding to enable development of services at Aras Attracta to proceed.
That seems to give the impression that the money is not being made available even though I understand that it was made available in the budget. This deadlock will continue unless there is intervention. It has gone on long enough and at this stage I would like the Minister to use his good offices to ensure that the necessary clarification is given to all the various bodies involved to ensure that the necessary assurances are given and that the necessary direction is given and that, in fact, everything will be ready for the opening of the units to proceed without any further or undue delay or hardship caused to the welfare of the mentally handicapped.
If there is a balance of time left I ask indulgence to allow my colleague from Mayo, Senator Patrick Durcan, to come in and say a few words in support of the submission I have made.
