I REFER to your article and editorial (Irish Examiner, Sept 11) concerning the Central Mental Hospital and its role in addressing the mental health needs of prisoners.

The failure to deliver on an agreement between the Departments of Justice and Health, to facilitate a faster transfer of mentally ill prisoners to hospital, is resulting in them being denied crucial treatment.

PLANS to treble the number of mentally ill prisoners treated in the Central Mental Hospital have been held up because of staffing problems.