Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Ms Marie Linehan, the excellent CEO of the Kerry Parents and Friends Association, contacted all of the Oireachtas Members in County Kerry with regard to this much-needed action plan, which the Minister of State knows needs to be published as a matter of urgency. The roadmap and schedule of works, as it were, must be published. It is urgently needed for both the service users and the parents of service users in County Kerry. I wish to highlight the excellent facility at St. Mary of the Angels in Beaufort, and the fact that it is being closed by stealth. We have discussed the matter previously. As the Minister of State is aware, no new residents are being admitted to the facility. This beautiful facility was created many decades ago by the very generous Beaufort family, who gave over their land for the provision of services for disabled persons. It is a centre as excellence, and I have regarded it as such for many years. I ask the Minister of State to keep this centre of excellence open for the great people from Beaufort, Killorglin, Killarney, Faha and Fieries who have worked there for generations and who provide great services there. It is a dedication and a vocation. I ask that the centre remains open and is not closed by stealth, which is what is happening currently.

I also want the Minister of State to address the fact that we desperately need respite services for people who have disabilities and are being cared for, in many cases, by aging parents who need a break. We need more respite facilities in south Kerry. A certain number of services are provided in north Kerry, but it is not enough. We need more. People must be taken care of. More funding must be provided for disabled persons grants to allow people to remain at home, whether it is for adaptation grants for bathrooms and bedrooms, stair lifts or grants for the provision of mobility aids. The facilities must be provided to enable people to remain in their own homes. We also need more people working on the ground to deliver healthcare to people with disabilities who are living at home.

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