Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance)
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I thank all our witnesses. I do not claim to know all the complexities of this issue. I gather there is a situation where we have a unit in Midleton and residents have been there for decades in some cases. It is largely a successful place where people can live their lives and so forth.

There is obviously a lot of emotion attached to that, whether people are residents or a relative of a resident. My understanding from the last number of months, when I got to know this issue, although it has gone on for much longer, is that the HSE intends to close the facility and does not have an alternative as such, so the residents will be divided and allocated to other locations. That is an extremely traumatic situation for the residents and their relatives.

My main question is this: is the closure of Owenacurra final? Is that the final decision or can this be reviewed again in regard to an alternative for the residents? Is there any alternative facility in the vicinity of Owenacurra? That is my first question and I will ask a second question after that.