Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Pat Deering for raising this matter. My colleague, the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Finian McGrath, is very much aware of the importance of respite service provision for the families of children with disabilities, as I am. I also acknowledge the impact that the absence of respite service provision can have on families. Respite services for the parents of children in Carlow were previously provided by Holy Angels in Tír na nÓg. In December 2015, the Holy Angels day care centre advised HIQA and the HSE of the decision of the board of management to close Tír na nÓg from January 2016. In March 2016, an alternative day respite provision was set up in partnership with the HSE and Holy Angels. It was agreed that the alternative arrangement would continue to be provided by Holy Angels in the Delta centre for an interim period.

I am informed that it has been challenging to source appropriate premises to include provision for overnight respite purposes which would be both compliant with HIQA standards and suitable for children. On 28 September 2016, the HSE met with representatives from an external voluntary agency to consider a proposal to use one of their premises in the Carlow-Kilkenny area, to which the Deputy referred. It was at all times understood that the external service provider owned the house in question and it was agreed that the HSE could proceed to utilise the premises for the delivery of respite services therein until such time as a permanent respite house could be provided. In preparing to implement the agreement, the HSE sought information from the agency with regard to the property in question. During this process, it became apparent that the agency did not own the premises in question and the HSE was unable to implement the agreement to use the premises for respite.

It is the intention of the HSE to continue to seek a suitable premises for the provision of respite services. The long-term intention of the HSE is to develop a new purpose-built respite service for Carlow-Kilkenny. I will pass on to the Minister the Deputy's question about where the funding has come from but funding has been identified to progress the development of this facility so that a stand-alone respite house can be purpose built. The HSE is engaging architects to finalise a design to build a purpose-built respite house in conjunction with Enable Ireland. This project will take approximately two years to complete but will provide a sustainable, permanent respite facility.

Separately, the respite tender process was completed in January 2017 and all parties notified of the outcome. Enable Ireland is the successful provider and the families of children in the Carlow-Kilkenny area have been informed. Consent will be sought from all families to commence a process of transferring client information to the new provider, Enable Ireland. Enable Ireland will identify a suitable location for respite services and will seek HIQA registration. The HSE, in conjunction with Enable Ireland, is working towards providing overnight centre-based respite services as soon as suitable premises can be identified. In the interim, the HSE continues to work in close collaboration with Enable Ireland to develop alternative models of overnight respite, such as holiday breaks and in-home respite.

The HSE will continue to engage and meet regularly with parents in Carlow and Kilkenny and, as the Deputy said, they met most recently on 26 April 2017 in both counties in regard to the provision of respite services. I will take many of the Deputy's comments on board and will bring them back to the Minister.

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