Did the Taoiseach watch the "RTÉ Investigates" programmes last night and the night before on the psychiatric care scandal? At the moment, I am dealing with families who are at their wits' end trying to access mental health services for their adult children. In some of these cases, the person involved is a danger to themselves, their families and their neighbours. Instead of them being turned away from services when help is sought or sent to jail, help needs to be given to these people. Prison is not the answer. Prison is the opposite of rehabilitation for people with mental illness. They need access to community-based treatment. Next Thursday night, I am holding a public meeting in the Newgrange Hotel in Navan for parents who cannot access mental health services for their adult children. What message can I give these parents from the Taoiseach about accessing help for their children? These parents are at breaking point.

In my view, institutionalisation was the great stain historically on Irish mental healthcare. Without question, we over-institutionalised in the past. Over the past 40 years, we have substantially deinstitutionalised mental healthcare from the old-type buildings and have put more emphasis on primary care and community-based mental healthcare. I accept we have a lot more progress to make and a lot more to do but a lot of progress has been made, particularly forensic medicine in terms of the new investment in Portrane. That is a very high-quality centre - of that there is no doubt. Further funding is going to that centre to increase its capacity in terms of its intensive care.

In addition to that, a lot of work has been done in CAMHS and community health in a whole range of strands. The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, can elaborate on this in more detail but, fundamentally, we are not where we want to be in terms of mental health. I accept that but we have made a lot of progress over the past couple of years.