Vol. 495 No. 7
412 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will make a statement on the scrapping of the proposal to set up a centre for the treatment of torture victims in Cork; and the reason the project will not go ahead. [21316/98]
Following consideration of the health service requirements of refugees and asylum seekers, including those who may have suffered from traumatic events such as torture, my Department identified the need to develop a psychological/counselling service for refugees and asylum seekers which would be associated with the medical service provided for this group by the Eastern Health Board. This medical service is provided in a unit located in the Refugee Application Centre operated by the Department of Justice and Law Reform at Mount Street in Dublin. I have provided additional funding to the Eastern Health Board in 1998 to develop an appropriate psychological/counselling service for refugees and asylum seekers. The association of the psychological/counselling service with the Eastern Health Board's medical unit for refugees and asylum seekers, together with its location in Dublin, was considered to best meet the needs of refugees and asylum seekers who require psychological support. The service is currently based in the department of psychology at St. Brendan's Hospital pending a move to a more easily accessible location.
