Neasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I cannot let that comment go, I am afraid. The decision to close Owenacurra was appalling and it is even more appalling to hear the HSE doubling down on what was a wrong decision. What we have heard about today is a decision with no clinical oversight and one that was probably put in train in 2012 in terms of deciding to run that building into the ground. It is really shocking that the HSE at a national level would defend that.

Our guests have taken exception to my characterisation of the decision-making in Cork as moving people around like chess pieces on a chessboard but I would like to move to the issue of Garnish House.

The HSE rental agreement with Garnish House started in April 2020, during the Covid emergency. A family member of a resident told the Irish Examinerearlier this year that their relative was moved with a few hours’ notice. As of April this year, according to the Irish Examiner, the HSE has failed to communicate with the families of residents in County Cork mental health facilities in the last two years since their relatives were suddenly moved to this new accommodation. We have covered the impact of prolonged uncertainty for people in mental health services around where they will be living. My questions are on: the impact that has; the fact that it seems there is no clinical oversight to those decisions; or that they are not recorded in any way; and that the HSE and Department of Health are fine with that.

The Irish Examinerarticle in April this year said there had been consultation with those Garnish House residents and families about their ultimate placements. Could the witnesses outline what that consultation was? The HSE has informed me, through a parliamentary question response, that it will not be renting Garnish House again beyond quarter 1 of 2023. Has it informed the residents or did they find out through that parliamentary question response? When did they first hear about it? The HSE has been telling people from Owenacurra, up until recently, that they will be moving to Garnish House. Is the HSE informing those residents and their families that if they move to Garnish House they will have to move again in early 2023?