Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for her reply. We spoke to the Ceann Comhairle's office this morning and explained that this Topical Issue matter was not on respite services in Louth County Hospital but in County Louth as a whole. It is a very serious concern for the families affected. The situation is such that more funding is needed urgently. At a meeting with the Louth respite working group the amount of funding required in Louth to support respite for an additional 60 families was identified. With funding of approximately €800,000, additional respite could be provided for 30 families. This would amount to seven week's respite per family per annum. If this was to be spread further to provide three to four weeks of respite per family, we could have a situation whereby 60 families could be supported with respite for the same amount. These figures are based on providing a four-bed respite service seven nights a week, 52 weeks a year, in other words a full-time service. An alternative service could be provided on a part-time basis, for example from Thursday to Monday. The cost of such a service would be in the region of €500,000. While the part-time option is cheaper, in the long run the full-time option is much better value for money and provides a better service to families. There are many companies and organisations capable of providing this service and which have the knowledge and experience to do so. One company that also attended a meeting this week with the Louth respite working group provided the figures I have mentioned and also stated that any property or vehicles required would be purchased and maintained by them. We must not forget that families are the real losers here. Sometimes we get caught up in the figures and statistics. The families going through this at the moment are the ones in the real crisis. We must do all we can to support these families. I urge the Minister of State to ring fence funding for respite services in County Louth.

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