Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I want to bring to the attention of the Taoiseach and, in particular, the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, the report published in 2011 entitled, Time to Move On from Congregated Settings. This was a strategy for community inclusion. I agree that there are people in institutions who should not be there and who should be integrated into our community. However, there were 72 institutions which were, in fact, living breathing communities. The example I give today is St. Mary of the Angels in Beaufort, County Kerry, which provides an excellent service, as did the other 71 centres. In Kerry, we also had Glebe Lodge in Castleisland and Kerry Cheshire Home in Killarney. My problem with the report is that it is closing these facilities down. These facilities were centres of excellence for dealing with people with intellectual and physical disabilities. I refer to people who have profound disabilities and who are incapable of living in communities. Their parents and carers realise this but the institutions are no longer taking in new residents with these disabilities. What is the answer for the young parents of today who have children for whom they are not able to cater at home? There is no place for them to go while we are closing down centres of excellence.

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