asked the Minister for Health the up to date plans to provide a new facility for drug addicted out-patients to replace the existing inadequate facilities at Jervis Street Hospital.

4.

asked the Minister for Health when a bed facility, including detoxification, will be provided at St. James's Hospital for persons suffering from drug addiction.

5.

asked the Minister for Health when treatment accommodation for young drug abusers in the 12-16 age group, particularly those from deprived inner city areas, will be provided.

6.

asked the Minister for Health if a therapeutic community regime more relevant to the requirements of drug abusers coming from socially and educationally deprived backgrounds has yet been devised; and if so, when it will be in operation.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 3 to 6, inclusive, together.

The position is that plans are well advanced in relation to the relocation of the Jervis Street Drug Advisory and Treatment Centre in an alternative city centre location. A brief has been drawn up and possible sites for the new facility are being investigated. The move may take place independent of the movement of the general hospital services from Jervis Street to Beaumont, if appropriate. It is possible that additional beds for detoxification and in-patient treatment will be provided at Beaumont Hospital due to the relocation of the walk-in element of the Jervis Street service in the city centre. The need to develop further in-patient services will be examined in the light of the demand for the places which will be available in Beaumont.

With regard to the provision of services for young drug abusers in the 12-16 age group the position is that Talbot Centre, which should be moving into new accommodation shortly will be available to a greater number of people with drug-related problems from the north inner city area.

I approved last year of the appointment of a number of counsellors-tracers in the Eastern Health Board area who are involved in establishing contact with drug abusers. The Eastern Health Board are monitoring the situation in individual community care areas, as reported by the counsellors, with a view to organising appropriate responses to the identified needs.

Is it true in relation to the three specific areas to which I refer, the Jervis Street drug treatment centre, St. James's Hospital detoxification unit and the treatment accommodation for young drug abusers, particularly in the deprived inner city areas, all of which were promised in the task force report published in September 1983, that none has so far been supplied? The Minister refers to the location of the Jervis Street facility and possible sites. Does the Minister mean buildings which can be bought and quickly renovated, or when he speaks of sites does he mean that this will involve the construction of a facility which may take quite some time? I should like clarification of that. In relation to St. James's Hospital, which seems to be a relatively easy facility to provide on an urgent, speedy basis, can the Minister say why it has not been provided since September 1983? Thirdly, in relation to the treatment accommodation for young abusers in the 12 to 16 year old group, the Minister refers to the relocation of the Talbot Centre to Buckingham Street. The Talbot Centre is a drop-in centre for half a dozen young drug abusers; that is all——

A question, Deputy, please.

The Task Force on Drug Abuse referred to accommodation where these young people can be detained and rehabilitated — in other words, residental accommodation — will this be provided? That is not what is involved in the relocation of the Talbot Centre which is merely a drop-in centre. I do not want to accuse the Minister of ignoring or of covering up on the questions, very important ones in regard to the treatment of heroin addiction. Perhaps the Minister would clarify the various issues I have raised.

Regarding Jervis Street, a planning group comprising representatives of the Department of Health and Jervis Street Hospital have agreed on a brief for a new walk-in city centre unit. Jervis Street have employed a firm of estate agents to produce a list of suitable properties and sites. Equally Dublin Corporation have also been contacted about sites. It should be possible within the next few weeks to evaluate this comprehensive list of sites. I share the Deputy's concern about the delay. I have been unhappy about it, and am urging the authorities to go ahead with all speed and do this work rapidly. As the Deputy is aware, last September — indeed even in June 1984 — I indicated that it was intended to produce that facility without delay. The Talbot Centre, when it moves to Buckingham Street in six to eight weeks, will have more space available for 16 to 12 year olds downwards, for pregnant abusers and for young mothers. There has not been a great demand on the Eastern Health Board for places for a number of actually identified 12 to 16 year old drug abusers.

Finally, I will have the major centre in Dundrum available shortly. The final decisions about how that is to be brought into use have not yet been taken, but it is a possibility for relatively older young people. It is a magnificent facility. It will be available for them where they have been in direct trouble with the law and will facilitate their rehabilitation. My personal strong view is that it be non-custodial residential care. Only the Coolmine facility has residential care for approximately 70 to 80 young people and it is full at present. The development of that kind of non-custodial type facility would be more conducive to rehabilitating young people.

Can the Minister give us the reason for the delay in finding a new site for a new inner city centre? Will it be the authorities in Jervis Street who will be responsible for the building, purchase or renovation of that centre, or will it be that of his Department? Also, the Minister said in his reply that it was possible that there would be beds for detoxification in Beaumont. Has no decision been taken on that?

Beaumont?

Has a decision been taken to have beds for detoxification or, as the Minister said, is it only possible there might be beds there?

To take the Beaumont situation first, there is a facility in Beaumont for a number of beds specifically for detoxification. I am quite willing to open those beds tomorrow morning provided the consultant staff of Jervis Street and of the Richmond just go up, turn the key in the door and work there. I will not accept the conditions they are laying down in order to go up there. The nursing staff in Jervis Street, where conditions are very bad, are only too willing to go up there. Equally the vast majority of the staff would go up there. But there are some individuals who are determined to play what I might call medical politics with this and to play politics with me as well in the process. Frankly I will not bend to their particular conditions. That is the only reason we are not up there.

On a point of order, I asked the Minister a question about the possibility of having beds for detoxification in Beaumont, a simple question——

They will be there.

The Minister's reply is totally irrelevant to the question.

That is not a point of order.

Well, I have to explain why the drug facility is being denied to the north city area even though the facility is there — £52½ million worth of facility, I might add.

It is not equipped or anything.

I have forgotten the first part of the Deputy's question.

The first part was the delay in finding a suitable site in the city centre and whether Jervis Street or the Department of Health were responsible.

The delay has basically arisen from the fact that it is now generally agreed that for Jervis Street Hospital to go to Beaumont, leaving behind part of the hospital and converting part into a drug's treatment centre, is not really wise, that it is not feasible to do it having regard to the future use of the Jervis Street site. That is why the general agreement is that in or about that immediate area there should be a facility in a separate building. I might make the other point that although I have not personally looked at the sites, I have had a team in major urban areas such as New York and Los Angeles look at the walk-in treatment centres there. They have come back rather chastened. We do not need a huge elaborate building in Dublin dealing with drug abuse. Centres can be very modest, very ordinary structures, very reasonably built at low cost.

What is the delay in acquiring a site?

The delay has arisen largely in getting a suitable site. I have no doubt that the Jervis Street staff, who are grossly over crowded there, are very anxious to do it. My Department have the money and we are willing to spend it immediately, but the delay has been in getting an actual site. It is not easy in the city centre and we want to have it in the inner city, downtown Dublin and nowhere else. That is where it should be.

The Chair must point out that, in his opinion, this method of dealing with questions is defeating the whole object of Question Time. I should also like to point out that it is obvious that, if we continue in this way dealing with health questions, we will still be on health questions when we adjourn for the summer recess. It is a matter for Deputies and the Minister.