Mr. Bernard Gloster:

I can give the Deputy an answer. I am very familiar with the Rosalie unit because three years ago I spent nine months there covering as the chief officer, and it was quite a hot topic then. Essentially, the Rosalie unit had developed into a quasi-type of later life psychiatry or mental health facility. Given their advancing years, many of the residents who utilised the unit at the time were identified as quite possibly being within the remit of nursing home care. This led to a lot of discourse that the unit was maybe going to close and so on. During the time that I was involved I gave an indication that while I did not believe the evidence would support the unit's retention or continued use for psychiatry of later life, it quite possibly might have a role in the context of older persons' services and care generally. To be fair, I do not want to commit my colleague to something he cannot do, or to undermine his position. When the Deputy raised this point I sent him a text and he has assured me that no decision has been made yet on the unit. I believe there is quite a bit of narrative around it because I am aware that the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Denis Naughten, and Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice have both spoken on the issue. Obviously, there is some local narrative and discourse around the matter, but my colleague, Mr. Tony Canavan, who is the HSE's chief officer in that area, has said to me that no decision has been made yet.