In the SeanadThe asset value of the land where the central mental hospital was located should be converted to enable a new forensic psychiatric institution to be built at a different location, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr McDowell said.

Common sense must intrude when looking at a campus in Dundrum which must have a value of between €60 million and €80 million. If only half that sum was devoted to building an adequate forensic treatment centre somewhere else, significant progress could be made, and we could have an institution of which we were proud, rather than one from which we must avert our eyes.

"It was an amazing irony that a sub-standard institution should be sitting on an asset which ought to be realised to provide adequate metal health facilities," he said during a debate on the Criminal Law (Insanity) Bill.

The Minister rejected a call by Dr Mary Henry (Ind) that those running the hospital should be given a say as to whether they were in a position to take people in. What were they to do if people were sent there and they had no places available?

The Minister said the function of the hospital was to deal with patients sent to it. He did not want to give a veto to psychiatrists in these institutions.

Dr Henry said one problem with the Dundrum site was that the hospital was so old there was a preservation order on it. It might be necessary to use part of the grounds to build a hospital.

Mr McDowell said whatever difficulty existed with that building should be addressed by either redesignating it or by a planning decision which would allow it to be converted into apartments or whatever with major structural alterations.

Preserving it and using the campus for its present purpose would keep €80 million locked into an unsatisfactory situation.

Dr Henry said she would not like a new facility to be located in Abbotstown or somewhere like that just because the land was available.