Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)

Tá mé thar a bheith buíoch den Cheann Comhairle as an seans an t-ábhar seo a thógaint. Ós rud é go bhfuil sé lonnaithe sa Ghaeltacht, labhróidh mé cúpla nóiméad i nGaeilge.

Tá mé ag caint faoi aonad cónaithe i mBaile na hAbhann, i nGaeltacht Chonamara. Ba é an rud a tharla ná go raibh géarghá le píosa fada áiseanna cearta a fháil do sheandaoine agus dóibh siúd a chabhraíonn leo. Bhí siad ag iarraidh áis a fháil le freastal ar na riachtanais sin. Tar éis iarrachtaí Bhord Sláinte an Iarthair, fuair siad suíomh chun áiseanna a chur ar fáil.

Níor éirigh leis an mbord agus, ag an am céanna, tháinig Tearmann Éanna ar an saol, áit a bhfuil níos mó ná 20 teach beag do sheandaoine. Le cabhrú na Roinne Comhshaoil, Oidhreachta agus Rialtais Áitiúil agus an bhoird sláinte, tógadh an áis. Ón am sin, nuair a críochnaíodh é i mí Dheireadh Fómhair 2005, tá sé folamh. Níl aon chinneadh tógtha faoi riar an aonaid, chúrsaí slándála, nó conas é a chothabháil agus leapanna faoisimh a chur ar fáil. Bhí lá oscailte ann, agus d'fhreastail an tAire, an Teachta Ó Cuív, agus príomhfheidhmeannach Údarás na Gaeltachta air, ach níor tháinig éinne ón HSE. Níl sé ar intinn agam a bheith drochbhéasach.

In the absence of the success of the HSE in providing a facility that would meet the needs of the Irish-speaking people in Connemara, this building was provided and has been available since September 2005. Nothing has happened since. I have received a letter from the Health Service Executive stating that in the past ten years 49 public nursing home spaces have been provided in County Galway, 12 in Áras Ronán on the Aran Islands, 17 in Carna and 20 in Carraroe. The letter states that in the next five years no new nursing home spaces are envisaged. No spaces have been provided in Galway City for the past ten years. There are 32 beds in St. Francis Home.

We have a facility made available through voluntary work, the opening of which the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs attended as did the chief executive of Údarás na Gaeltachta. No representative of the Health Service Executive was available to attend the open day. Local people are looking after the building. They go in and switch off the alarm which is regularly activated. The building, which is surrounded by 20 small houses for the elderly, has been ready to be fitted out for two years. This contrasts with the speed with which private hospitals are being facilitated on the grounds of University College Galway. Bids have been sought, to be submitted before 30 June, for a new hospital and the successful applicants will be selected within weeks of that date from consortia currently seeking shares from consultants who are contracted to provide public health care. In Connemara, on the other hand, people must look at a building for which no provision has been made for maintenance, security or operations, despite old people living around it.

The building to which I refer was given as a gift, as it were, a gesture that deserves praise. The way in which the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government combined with other bodies to provide this facility is precisely the type of approach we need. The other logical and practical step to take in Connemara would be to introduce a mobile service because many of the elderly people in the area cannot make the journey into Galway city. It makes no sense that the building lies empty and in danger with local people having to look after it. I ask the Minister of State to raise the matter with the Minister for Health and Children.

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