Seán Kenny (Dublin North East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this issue and I thank the Minister for coming to the House to respond. Before I start, I wish to pay tribute to Deputy Neville and to his distinguished record in the House, particularly on the issue of suicide. Like him, I am not contesting the next election, but I hope to get an opportunity later, when I speak on another Bill, to say my farewell. At present, however, I am anxious to raise this issue on behalf of a family in Donaghmede in my Dublin North-East constituency, with their consent to refer to the details of their case.

Their adult son, Igor, who suffers from autism, has been under the care of the HSE mental health and disability services for more than five years, and since last year he has been an inpatient of the acute psychiatric unit at the Ashlin Centre in the grounds of Beaumont Hospital. It has been acknowledged by the HSE mental health and disability services that Igor's needs would be better met by a placement in a residential care setting rather than in an acute psychiatric unit, and his parents have been assured that the HSE is working proactively in progressing this solution. The problem that is causing anxiety to both Igor and his parents is the delay in providing the funding for the provision of a suitable residential placement. His parents were informed on several occasions in recent months that a decision would be made very soon. Most recently, they were told that a decision would be made yesterday, but their hopes, which had been raised so many times previously, were dashed once again. They sent me an e-mail yesterday afternoon, which I will quote with their permission:

We received a call from our social worker today to say Nua [the placement centre] can go ahead with referral but meeting regarding funding is not for another two weeks, when we were told it would be today or tomorrow. We were absolutely devastated over this and cannot understand how disability and mental health cannot meet to discuss our case.

They have also described to me the effect of the ongoing delays on Igor, which is very apparent when they visit him.

The reason I raise the matter in the House today is to try to get clarification of why the decision on funding continues to be deferred in this case.

See this speech in context