THE GOVERNMENT has now embarked on plans to sell off the lands of at least seven major psychiatric hospitals in order to raise funds for new mental health facilities.
Minister of State for Mental Health John Moloney said a project to estimate the value of the lands had been commissioned and the process of selling some of the lands could begin next year.
He insisted that any money raised would be ringfenced for modernising mental health services such as building new community-based facilities and acute psychiatric units.
"We have massive landbanks which need to be turned into assets for the mental health sector. The cases will be assessed individually," Mr Moloney said.
"For example, decisions such as whether it is better to sell off lands entirely or to redevelop a new facility in conjunction with a private developer will be taken on a case-by-case basis."
However, Government deals with private developers could prove difficult in light of the difficult economic conditions and the collapse of a number of public-private partnership deals to build social housing in the Dublin area.
Mr Moloney said he was hopeful the initiative could raise hundreds of millions of euro for an area long considered to be one of the most neglected arms of the health services.
He said at least seven sites had been identified initially which currently accommodate older psychiatric hospitals due to be closed over the coming years.
Funds raised from the sale of these lands may not necessarily remain in the immediate area, given that population changes over the last century had resulted in more people living in the greater Dublin area, he added.
Mr Moloney also expressed frustration that money set aside for implementing the national disability strategy - A Vision for Change - had been diverted into other areas of the Health Service Executive's health budget.
He said he was due to meet senior officials in the HSE and would "insist" that any funding allocated for mental health remained in that sector.
"These plans for developing services were put together for a reason: because there is a pressing need to improve and modernise our mental health services. Those needs have been identified," he said.
"If money doesn't go where it is needed, it delays the development of these services and that's not in anyone's interest."
