Mr. Michael Fitzgerald:

The Deputy will be aware that, initially, Millfield was a 14-bed high-support hospital on the north side of the city. As we entered into planning for Covid at the start of the pandemic, from a risk-management perspective, Millfield was identified as residence where a high level of occupancy and certain environmental issues did not assist us to provide good infrastructure for infection prevention and control. At that stage, an opportunity arose to take a bed and breakfast that had single rooms, which is Garnish House, and to utilise it for the purposes of providing accommodation. At that very early stage of Covid, a wise and judicious decision was made to move people to Garnish House, where more space was available to them, and to a number of other centres where there were multi-occupancy rooms in some residential settings throughout the city also availed of it. We are still in that setting, but just for another number of months. In the meantime, we are doing some minor refurbishment in Millfield. It will not be able to accommodate 14 people by the time we have finished with it but it will certainly accommodate eight to ten.

The Deputy is right that, as the CEO said, we have some difficulties regarding accommodation. It is very well known that we have specific concerns with regard to accommodation around the city. We have purchased Glenwood House in Carrigaline, which is going through a planning permission process with An Bord Pleanála. When that comes through, I am confident that it will provide us with additional space of very good quality.