Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Like my colleagues I am glad to have an opportunity to address the subject. St. Catherine's Association was established at a time when families or those with an interest in special needs had to push harder than they do today for anything they got. They got money and established a service at a time when there was no such thing as service level agreements or corporate governance. The service was born in this era, and it is the property of not only the families but also the community which feels it established it. This weekend the local Lions Club will run a fund-raiser for St. Catherine's Association. It will run vintage car runs and make other efforts to raise money to enhance the services provided by State funding through the HSE and the Department of Education and Skills.

It is regrettable that it has come to this. There are issues which have needed to be addressed for some time and it behoves everybody involved to get proactively engaged in resolving the issues. It is very important at this stage that the families, parents and children who are service users are reassured about the quality and type of service that will remain once the process has been completed. This is the most important thing and I urge the senior management of St. Catherine's Association, with or without the HSE, to meet the parents and give them this reassurance and explain to them exactly what has gone on. Too much has been up in the air for the past six months. I ask the Minister of State to bring this message to the Minister and the relevant people involved.

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