Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. As I said, this matter was not intended as a trick question but rather was intended to highlight the lack of respite care and the difficulties for all sectors in east Cork. I welcome the fact the Minister of State mentioned the Cope Foundation and the services it provides, which are only down the road from me. In some ways, it is like the council waiting lists for housing, whereby someone might have been approved for a four-bedroom house and be excited and delighted but there may not be any four-bedroom houses available. As for the services in Cobh, the issue is one of staffing, which is insufficient. I raised the question in the first instance because this is about the knock-on effect of that. Some people are capable and willing to travel to other towns in the area to try to get these services, whether in disability or mental health, but we need all these services to work together and complement one another. If services are splintered, that will not work. If we lose the Owenacurra centre and all the services there, where will those people go? The social impact of the demand on families in Mallow, Fermoy, Cobh and possibly even as far down as Kanturk - God forbid if they had to travel to Skibbereen - who are not able to drive puts greater strain on those families. Moreover, the public transport is poor.

I reiterate my request. I do not want to beg, because we should not have to beg in this House, but I have worked with and met these families. There were more suicides at the weekend in our town, and a HSE entity is saying we do not need mental health services or respite services in the town. The model of consistency and excellence in this centre, which is totally integrated within the town and local services, should be replicated throughout the country, yet the HSE wants to close it. I appeal to the Minister of State to urge the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, and the wider Government to rethink the closure of the Owenacurra centre and to save the services.

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