Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Moving on to Abbeyleix nursing unit or, as it is referred to locally, Abbeyleix hospital, I ask Ms Kennedy for brief answers. There was €4 million spend on it, according to previous discussions that we have had with the HSE on this and with Mr. Des O'Flynn, the chief officer. This has been ongoing now for a few years. It has capacity for 28 beds. Today, I understand, there are still only seven beds open. I have raised this at every opportunity. Every time I have been in contact with Ms Kennedy throughout the year and at meetings that we have had, I have raised with her the fact that there are only seven beds in use in it.

The capital works were carried out to a very high standard. The staff are there to staff it. The day care centre remains closed despite the fact that there have been several dates given for it reopening and 21 beds are not in use. Some of those beds will be sacrificed to facilitate the day care unit but one is still talking about 22 or 23 beds. This is an intolerable situation that we have such a crying need for nursing home beds in the county and we have these closed.

I will run through quickly one of the reasons for it. When it was ready to be reopened or near the date, it was discovered that the shower heads had still to be fitted or changed. That held up progress for a number of months. When that was sorted, it was discovered that fire doors needed to be changed. Six doors needed to be upgraded. When the HSE was getting the solution to that, there was a ramp needed for the day care centre.

I am saying to the HSE senior management team here today that this is a problem that one has come across in the HSE over the years in trying to get a decision made. In my view, an engineer, a clerk of works or, for that matter, a carpenter, or a foreman on a building site would go in and snag that out and state the four things that need to be done. This drags on and delays the process of reopening for the best part of a year. That is not a tolerable situation. Where works are being carried out, we should be able to ascertain what is on the snag list and whether there are other works that need to be carried out fairly quickly to get the place open. We cannot run public services like that. It is ludicrous. Will Ms Kennedy tell me when the day care centre will finally be open and when those 21 or 22 beds will be brought into use?