The Irish Division, through its Executive Committee, is pursuing a policy of pressing for early consultation with the Department of Health on Irish national issues bearing directly on the welfare of the mentally ill. Part of this policy is to publish from time to time selected position papers of significance which have been submitted to the Department. The following paper advocates the monitoring of psychiatric services in the Republic of Ireland by peer review with tentative suggestions as to how this might be achieved. In a slightly different form this paper was submitted to the Department of Health in March 1983 without, to date, formal response.