I will second the motion when it is moved. I strongly appeal to the other members of the committee to support it at that stage. As Deputy Reilly has said, the word "review" was chosen carefully to make it possible for the entire committee to support his motion. We could easily have used the word "reverse", which would have been much stronger. We are merely asking the Minister to review the decision. It does not appear, from what I have heard today, that the decision has been re-examined since it was first announced in 2005. That announcement was made by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, rather than the Department of Health and Children.
While I accept that Ms Nic Aongusa spoke eloquently, I am disappointed that she could not confirm whether a written record was kept of the professional advice that was received by the Department or the various team meetings which were apparently held. It is disturbing that there does not appear to be any written record of the basis on which a significant decision was made. This proposal, which involves a substantial amount of public money, will affect the health of a sector of the community. It is strange that there is no written record of how the decision was made.
It is worth noting that those who will be most affected by this decision — the Central Mental Hospital's patients, their families and the professionals who are directly involved in their care — are those who are most vehemently against it. As public representatives, we have a duty to represent the views of such people. We need to ensure that their opinions are considered when any decision that directly affects their lives is made. It does not affect our lives, but it directly affects the lives of the people I have mentioned. As my colleague, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, rightly said, it will be extremely difficult for people who walk out of the Central Mental Hospital in Thornton Hall to engage with the outside community in any way. That is the most damning element of all of this. The green fields they will see when they walk out may be nice, calm and peaceful, but the same can be said of the Dundrum site. There will be no community on the doorstep for the patients to interact with.
The Minister of State, Deputy Moloney, who chaired this committee for some time, is a reasonable man. My personal experience of him is that he is a caring man. I put it to him that this decision needs to be reviewed. This is a reasonable motion. I urge all members of the committee to support it.