James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. The difficulty is that there is no concrete solution for the situation in Wexford. There is a unit in Ard Aoibhinn that is not being used for respite care because the HSE will not provide the necessary current funding for it to be staffed. The HSE accepts it cannot meet the increasing demand in Wexford, yet there is a unit there that can be used to help meet some of that need.

Carers have a very difficult job to do. It is an exhausting job but it is one they do with pride and care. They are also exhausted from being obliged to fight tooth and nail to get some respite so they can recover themselves. They are becoming ill and their own mental and physical health is deteriorating when they cannot get the respite they need. The carers are being let down and their adult children are being let down also. They need to be able to get a break for themselves as well.

A particular situation arises where there are two or three adult children in a family and maybe only one gets taken in for care. That is not respite for the parents at all. There was a well reported situation, recently flagged by the Ombudsman, where there were foster parents in that situation. Foster parents are saving the State an absolute fortune when they take on, support and give love and care to foster children. They need the support they should be given as well. It is deeply frustrating.

The Ombudsman for Children, Dr. Niall Muldoon, stated recently that the HSE needs to immediately devise a respite action plan for all children. It seems that some parents are finding it almost impossible to get any supports. For whatever reason, they are slipping through the cracks. The broader picture of more hours and nights being provided is all well and good. In my own county of Wexford, however, there is a desperate need for additional respite nights and care. The unit is there. We just need the funding to be provided in order that people can be given the support they need and deserve.

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