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

With regard to the information on Erkina House's closure, it had nearly happened without anyone knowing, including local Deputies and the Minister of State. I will deal with the line about Erkina House having limited access to community services and public transport. There is a Local Link bus. Residents do not go far. Normally, there is transport from within the facility. I outlined the local community services that the residents need. They need access to the local health centre and community hall. They need somewhere to go for a coffee, the town square, the post office where they get cigarettes, the shop and the Card Stand, which is the local newsagent.

I acknowledge the staff and the local community. The Minister of State knows that sometimes, when we go to put in a facility such as this in a locality, we meet opposition straight away. That did not happen in Rathdowney. I pay tribute to the people who were involved in setting this up, including the late Kieran Phelan. He was one of Fianna Fáil's Senators. It was a success story from the start. It is important that we acknowledge so.

The Minister of State is correct that residents have been accommodated in single occupancy rooms since the onset of Covid. Yes, there is an issue in that more en suite bathrooms are needed, but the Minister of State's office is dealing with disabled persons and housing adaptation grants every day through the local authority. This is not rocket science. We can do it. We are entering into a crucial period. I do not want to see somebody at a desk writing up bogus reasons as to why to close Erkina House. I want money spent well. I am with the Minister of State on that. I do not want money put into black holes. Erkina House is a good investment.

The HSE told us at the meeting that it wants four such ten- and 11-bed units in Laois and Offaly. This should be one of the. Erkina House should be and certainly is one of them. It is in the middle of south Laois. It is perfect and has close access to Portlaoise where all the mental health facilities are. The one thing the residents all say to me is that they feel safe in Erkina House.

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