It was time to make a concerted effort to tackle in a determined and comprehensive manner the problems in our mental health services, which had been so clearly highlighted in the report of the Inspector Of Mental Hospitals, the Minister for Health told the House. As a first step Mr Cowen had allocated an additional £12.2 million revenue funding to the mental health service for next year and various other initiatives were being taken to improve the services.
"The challenge now facing the health services is to provide all our in-patients with an alternative to care in large psychiatric institutions. Unfortunately, the rate of progress in providing this alternative service has fallen behind. It has to be acknowledged that the mental health services have frequently lost out to other services which have been given priority in the allocation of development funding," said Mr Cowen.
Mr Feargal Quinn (Ind) said the latest shocking report of the inspector had revealed a terrifying picture. He hoped the debate would mark a stepping stone on the way to dealing with mental health in a way that was fitting in a rich, modern society.
The scandal had finally burst, but he believed we would never get to grips properly with this problem unless we recognised the real culprits. The Department had been able to indulge a culture of denial only because there was a similar culture right through our society.
"The uncomfortable truth is many people don't want to know about mental health. We have a tradition of regarding it as a taboo subject, to be kept out of sight and ignored."
One small step we could take on the road to progress would be to pass comprehensive mental health legislation in order to show our determination, for the first time in the State's history, to treat this problem with the seriousness and the openness that it deserved.