Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am glad to have this opportunity to speak to the Minister of State. I engaged with her probably a year and a half ago, or more, on this particular issue. As she is aware, there are a number of families, mainly in south Leitrim, who have children with severe disabilities. Most of them are young adults at this stage and their parents are becoming quite elderly and are getting on. One of them, a neighbour of mine, in fact, passed away recently. This is really becoming a crisis for these families as they look to the future. This situation is a worry for them in many respects.

The Minister of State held a meeting at the end of May this year in the Bush Hotel in Carrick-on-Shannon and I want to thank her for that. We brought together all of the stakeholders, including the HSE, the service providers, the parents, people from the local authorities, local councillors and the other Deputies in the area. We came up with the bones of a solution to move the situation forward, and I commend the Minister of State on that.

We need to use a site in Carrick-on-Shannon, which is owned by the HSE, and which has been set aside to build a proper respite service for them. It was agreed at that meeting that a team would be put together to work on this. That team has been put together, has done some work and has met regularly, but I am not sure if a great deal of progress has been made. That is disappointing and I await the Minister of State’s reply in respect of that.

We need to see a proper residential care unit built on that site, together with a respite unit, because in some case these parents have had no respite for years. The nearest respite service they have is in Tullaghan in County Leitrim, which for many of them is a great distance away, and is very near Bundoran in County Donegal. We need to see this put in place immediately and we need a proper plan to be put together to build those services.

In the interim, until that is built, we need to have a respite service for these young people. We had a solution that day, which the Minister of State is aware of. We looked at the Cloonamahon site, which is near Collooney in County Sligo and is not a very significant distance from south Leitrim. This site was available. There are two purpose-built bungalows there, which were built 20 years ago and are fully kitted-out. At present they are used as residential units and there are six residents in those units. Work is currently under way to move those residents out into what is called a decongregated setting in the community. That is happening apace.

The units are purpose-built and comprise two five-bedroom bungalows. When we talked about what we were going to build, which would be HIQA-approved, figures being talked about were heading close to €1 million and yet these buildings are there, are being used and are HIQA-approved. On the day, the remark was made that all they needed was a lick of paint.

I have good news because a man called Ivor Parke, a local painter and decorator contracted by the HSE, went in less than two weeks ago and painted both of them from floor-to-ceiling. That has been done because the HSE evidently has a plan to turn these buildings into offices. The country is coming down with offices but we do not have a place to provide services for children and young people with disabilities. The person who came up with that idea needs to be dragged over the coals because to even talk about it is a scandal, never mind to even do it, considering that these purpose-built and HIQA-approved units are in place. All we need to do is to ensure we use them for respite services for the young people concerned.

I understand the HSE is going around the country trying to find private services to provide the services, which in many cases do not exist, or do not exist to the level of quality we would require and HIQA would approve. These buildings are there and they should be used. Apart from the problems these parents and families have, which is a pressing crisis we need to resolve, a secondary scandal would be if these two buildings were turned into office space. The Minister of State, or any other Minister, could not stand over allowing the people who have responsibility, as employees of the HSE, to provide services for people with disabilities, to do this. They need to block the use of these units as office space. It is scandalous that they would even think of doing such a thing.

I look forward to the Minister of State's reply. I hope she has good news, not for me but for these families who are at their wits' end in trying to get a solution to this crisis.

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