Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to address this issue with the Minister of State. The news of the planned closure of Erkina House came as a bombshell to the 12 residents, the staff and the local community. The facility is entering its 26th year of successful operation. It has been accepted by the local community right from the outset. The facility has demonstrated a stand-out, best practice way of doing things. There was no consultation regarding this closure and no appraisal. I acknowledge the intervention of the Minister of State in this matter. She intervened quickly and wrote to me on 6 May, after I and the other two local Deputies raised this issue. The Minister of State acknowledged the importance of Erkina House and stated that the decision had been put on hold. This is good news. The Minister of State also stated that there needed to be a proper consultation and appraisal process in this regard. This is the way it should be done. I acknowledge the Minister of State's intervention.

Regarding the HSE's rationale for this action, it cited the facility's rural location, the issue of public transport and the building's amenities. It was stated that some bedrooms were "small and located upstairs" and some of the shower and toilet facilities were partially inadequate. Let us deal with the matter of the location first. Erkina House - and I ask the Minister of State to come down and visit the facility if she is ever in Laois - is in the dead centre of a town with a population of just under 1,000. It is in the town centre and a perfect location. The facilities at Erkina House are excellent. There are fantastic gardens at the rear of the house. It was the old house that belonged to the nuns and it is a fine structure. There is a great deal of space around it. The post office and the shop are across the road. The residents of Erkina House are vulnerable people and they use all these local facilities. They go to the lovely town square, where there is seating and where they can sit and meet and talk with each other and local people. The residents go to a local establishment for coffee most days. That freedom is there. The newsagent's shop is around the corner. The health centre at Mooreville is just around the back, which is another health facility used by the residents. The community hall, which is also the bingo hall, is just down the road. I met the residents at a meeting there recently.

It is only 150 yd down the road. It is perfect.

Laois-Offaly mental health services are located in Laois, not Tullamore or Offaly, to where it is planned to move people. There is a Local Link bus for public transport but, let us be fair, the people in Erkina House do not travel too far or too often. Public transport has not been an issue. That is a bogus argument. The key point is that they have their freedom in order to mix and walk around the town. It is a small town. The locals know and look out for them. It is a plan of best practice.

Erkina House is a fine building. The whole back section was re-roofed within the past year. My information is that up to €150,000 could have been spent on it. I will not argue about that, but I will point it out to the Minister of State. There is considerable interior space. If one went around Erkina House with a building inspector, I am sure faults could be found. Every building has faults, including the Minister of State's house and my own. I know health facilities have to tick all the boxes but there is considerable space in this building. It is a sound structure. The roof and other aspects are in good condition. Erkina House has the type of visiting rooms that Silver Lodge does not. Silver Lodge does not have the same space. Those are the facts.

With regard to upstairs in Erkina House, there is a lift in the Houses of the Oireachtas. All buildings have lifts now. We can fit a lift into Erkina House. In the context of some rooms not being en suite, one can buy en suite kit and fit them into those rooms. All of that can be done. This is not rocket science. It needs a little bit of refurbishment and some other work.

There is a plan to move residents 68 km to Arden Road in Tullamore where there are no facilities. It is on a busy road and does not have the same space. This is the key thing for these people's mental health. They will not have the same freedom. The Mental Health Commission looked at Silver Lodge. It found that there is no dedicated space for therapeutic activities in the centre, nor does it have a dedicated occupational therapist. In addition, not all bathrooms are ventilated. The commission also found other problems with it. Silver Lodge is not the silver bullet the Minister of State is talking about. Existing and new residents need kept at Erkina House.

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