Vol. 531 No. 3
231 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to concerns among doctors regarding proposals to remove under 18 year olds from certain psychiatric services (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5533/01]
The Mental Health Bill, 1999, currently before the Oireachtas, provides for the involuntary detention of persons for psychiatric care and treatment. It provides for different legal procedures to be followed with regard to the detention of adults and of children under 18. It does not contain any provisions regarding the age for admission to psychiatric hospitals.
Children aged 16 to 18 are currently treated by the adult psychiatric services. However, the placement of children of this age in adult psychiatric facilities is increasingly seen as inappropriate. A working group has been established by my Department to review child and adolescent psychiatry and to finalise a plan for its future development. This group will also examine the service needs of persons between 16 and 18 years, in conjunction with experts from the field of adult psychiatry, to determine how these can best be addressed in the context of future service developments.
