Declan Breathnach (Louth, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister. I have brought this issue of the closure of the social protection office in Dunleer to the floor of the Chamber in order to seek definitive information in respect of the future of the Dunleer clinic. We have heard the words "no ambiguity" and "no misinformation" and, in that context, I want to put forward my understanding of the situation and ask the Minister to respond.

I and other Deputies received correspondence on 26 March from the Intreo office in Drogheda indicating to us, as a matter of courtesy, that the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection wished to advise that, due to accommodation issues, the Dunleer community welfare service clinic would cease with immediate effect. I understood from the letter what the problems were, I inquired about them, and I have to accept and respect there had been difficulties with regard to health and safety in what is a HSE office, in addition to the need for it to be refurbished. The information that was relayed to us in the letter was that the community welfare officer "will be available to carry out a home visit", and that this element of the service was always available and would continue to be. The letter stated that the community welfare officer would be available and flexible in the event of an emergency and that customers would be facilitated. The letter further stated that, to ensure a smooth transition, the Department was communicating with all customers concerned regarding the operational changes and that there would be no changes to current payment arrangements.

Everybody accepted that in good faith. The issue is that the HSE is of the opinion that it needs an outreach service there, despite the fact it has an excellent facility at Clogherhead and plans for the expansion of the facility at Castlebellingham, although that is not the Minister's brief. I am reliably informed that for a small investment between the HSE and the Department, the existing building that has a problem could be turned into a proper one-stop shop or, if that is not possible, other issues could be explored. The reality is that the people of Dundalk, Drogheda and Ardee have this type of office facility. I am sure the Minister will point out, as she indicated in her response to me yesterday, that there were only five people availing of this service and the numbers were small. That is fine for a snapshot in time. However, I am informed that due to the seasonality of work and other issues particular to the mid-Louth area, that figure could swell to 15 or 20. While I respect the view of the Minister and the Department in regard to providing outreach services and constant contact, we all know that when a service is minimised or closed, the commitment to that service wanes over time. I firmly believe there is a strong need for the provision of an office in Dunleer.

My main reason for raising the issue is that I want no ambiguity and I want nobody to be misinformed. I have the transcript of what the Minister said on this issue and I will read it out in my response if she does not adequately answer the question, given she indicated this was a temporary arrangement.

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