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Ms SYLVIA HALE: I ask the Minister for Health whether he is aware of the following remarks by Supreme Court Justice Michael Adams in his decision on 5 May 2006 to deny bail to Mr Simeon Opit:
I feel obliged to refuse bail because there is no place for him in the mental health system of this State.
I can say no more than that this is a disgrace.
Has a place now been found for Mr Opit within the mental health system, or is he still languishing in gaol? If a place has not been found, why not? What guarantees can the Minister provide to the House that such a disgraceful episode will not be repeated?
The Hon. JOHN HATZISTERGOS: I am aware of this incident and I have some details on it. I will take the question on notice and provide those details at the end of question time. I need to establish how some of those issues relate to the current situation.