Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

While I thank the Minister of State for his reply, I must say, with considerable regret, that there is no solace in his response for the families involved. The Minister of State said that the HSE "plans to explore" and so forth but all of this amounts to no early resolution of the difficulties with which these families are contending. This is critically important and I urge the Minister of State to personally intervene with the respective authorities, that is, the service providers, the HSE and transport providers of whatever hue in order to guarantee a continued service for this small cohort of young adults with serious disabilities. They are unable to access the services that have been allocated to them and which were determined as essential for their respective care plan needs. It is imperative that a solution is found.

The point was made that as a general rule, public transport should be used in all circumstances where it is an option and I welcome the fact that the Minister of State has acknowledged that is not an option for any of the young adults to whom I refer. These seven young people are severely challenged and could not possibly face the use of public transport and certainly not unaccompanied. The departmental reply made reference to covering the transport costs by reducing the quantum of service the clients would receive but that is penalising the young people. It is totally and wholly inappropriate and is not an answer in any circumstances. At the end of the day, scheduled public transport is not the answer in this case. Door-to-door service is required. Indeed, the two brothers to whom I referred are not going to the same centre as St. Michael's House has a presence in several locations across the city and beyond.

It is very important to recognise in this instance that we are talking about a special group of young adults who need our assistance now and I am making a special appeal on their behalf.

See this speech in context