Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Carmona Services and Dunmore House is a very well run facility in the constituency Deputy Boyd Barrett and I share. They have been offering a seven day, 24 hour respite service for children with an intellectual disability. All agencies, including St. John of God's, which runs Carmona, have been asked to look at efficiencies in how they run these services.

The management at Carmona looked at the seven day, 24 hour respite service and found that they were not operating it at full capacity between Monday and Thursday. Therefore, it was decided that the service would open until 6.30 p.m. from Monday to Thursday and 24 hours from Friday to Sunday, and that it would still respond to emergencies.

There is a group of parents who are affected by this decision. The management of Carmona Services have offered to meet the parents concerned and to resolve the difficulties that are arising. That offer of a meeting with the management of the service has not been taken up to date. That meeting should proceed. Deputy Boyd Barrett should encourage the parents concerned to meet the management of the service. That is a more productive way of solving what is a real problem than coming in here and seeking to make a political football out of it.

See this speech in context