Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)

We have put forward policies supporting public long-term care and private residential care working in unison. So far all we have had are reports from HIQA recommending closure in some cases and in cases where HIQA has not recommended a closure, budgetary constraints are being used as a reason. Clearly there is a crisis in public long-term nursing home care throughout the country. However, closing two facilities in County Laois in a few weeks rips the heart from the community. The Deputies in the House along with Deputy Seán Fleming have conveyed that adequately without me needing to add more to it.

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