Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for her reply and for a copy of her statement. I specifically did not mention Ravenswell initially because it is part of the problem but that was before the latest news about Wyattville Park. The challenges that have faced Ravenswell have been there for quite some time, and recruitment was an issue long before it became an issue generally in every sector in society. I will come back to that again directly with the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, who is aware of it.

In her statement, the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, said that, occasionally, respite services must be temporarily curtailed, which is understood and, unfortunately, families have witnessed that over the years. She said that the HSE has requested information from St. John of God Services about creating a list for priority. That is welcome but her statement goes on to say that, over the next six months, communication will issue to all individuals outlining the detail proposed for supported holidays, including any transition plans that are required. I ask, through the Minister of State, that the Department of Health make urgent contact with the HSE specifically around speeding up that process. There is no lack of resources within the Department of Health or the HSE to try to assist St. John of God's.

This is having an enormous impact on families in south-east Dublin and north Wicklow. This news came as a bolt from the blue to them but, as I said, they have been impacted for so long by the impact of changes in respite care that many of the families cannot even plan six days in advance, let alone six weeks in advance, because they do not know when respite is coming. They do know one thing for sure, which is that respite is not coming for the foreseeable future for any of the individuals who were allocated to Wyattville Park. I ask the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, through the Department of Health, to try to speed up the process as much as possible.

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