Dr. Sinead O'Brien:

I thank Senator Dolan for her questions. The needs of these individuals is absolutely paramount. I stress it is each person’s individual needs. Every person has had a very thorough multidisciplinary assessment to identify the level of support each individual needs.

There has also been a discussion on individuals' desires in terms of where they want to go and what settings they want to reside in. Some individuals were on this journey just before the decision on the Owenacurra centre was announced. They came to Owenacurra for a period of time during which they would need an increased level of support. After getting such multidisciplinary support, it was always the plan they would move to other settings where they would not need the same level of support.

In terms of the 19 individuals, we are examining a wide variety of options to match their individual needs. Some individuals will require continuing care settings. Some people will need continuing care settings but their aim is to get to a point where they can live in lower support settings. In respect of others, we are liaising with communal voluntary housing bodies for communal accommodation to facilitate such accommodation with support. We have strong community services in the east Cork region and those services will support these individuals. Each person will have an individual care plan based on what will best meet his or her needs.