CATHOLIC BISHOPS last night called on the Government to row back on plans to relocate the Central Mental Hospital to the site of a major new prison complex in north Co Dublin.
Following a meeting of the Irish Bishops' Conference, the group said the Government's plan would increase the stigma associated with mental illness and impede the rehabilitation of patients.
"It is contrary to the Government's stated policy on mental health. Bishops call on the Government to revisit this decision," the group said in a statement.
The bishops are the latest in a series of groups - including the Mental Health Commission, Opposition parties and a coalition of mental health groups - to criticise the Government's plans
However, a number of government Ministers have said in recent weeks that there are no plans to review the decision. They have insisted that the hospital will be kept separate from the new prison complex.
Bishops also expressed concern at plans to close the women's prison in Mountjoy - known as the Dóchas Centre - and relocate it on the grounds of the Thornton Hall prison complex. They said the most disturbing aspect of the plan was that the new women's prison would have a capacity twice as large as the existing facility.
"The profile of women prisoners indicates that instead of increasing the number of prison places for women, there is scope to reduce the use of imprisonment for female offenders and furthermore to reduce the extent to which those imprisoned are detained in secure closed prisons," the bishops said in a statement.
Another major advantage of the Dóchas Centre's location was its access to a major public hospital and in-reach health services, the bishops said.
Ready access to these services could not be replicated in the new prison.
"This is a considerable resource for the Dóchas Centre, especially in light of the fact that healthcare needs are much greater among women than among men in prison.
"People who work in the prison have indicated that the lives of women who have been attacked or who have attempted suicide or become seriously ill have been saved as a result of the centre's close proximity to a major public hospital."
The issue of family reunification also featured prominently at the bishops' meeting.
The conference said the right of migrants to family life should be clearly laid out in the Government's Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill.
"This would bring Ireland into line with other EU member states, all of which already have national regulations regarding family reunification enshrined in primary legislation," it said.