Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It might reflect some of it but not all. We had a very good conversation in that room. I felt there was energy and pace in the room to find a solution. My goal in travelling was to find a solution for the people of County Leitrim, especially the people of south Leitrim, whose options were very limited. In fact, they had none. I acknowledge the role of local authority members who were present at that meeting. They were tasked with a job, which was to find a site and to see whether sites were available. All of a sudden, they found sites. They found HSE sites that were available. That has been set in train and a development group has been set in place. We will take that.

While that is being developed, the Deputy is correct that we also identified Cloonamahon as an option for transitional space in the interim because we know that Tullaghan is operating on five over seven nights. Even if we moved Tullaghan to seven over seven nights, it means that 136 families will need to access it. No matter what respite service I open, it will not exceed supporting more than 80 families so there is a shortfall of 56. With the best will in the world, going to seven over seven is part of the solution but it still does not meet the whole of the solution. The Deputy is quite right that it was agreed on that day, and HSE estates representatives said clearly at the meeting, that they could go in to the building at Cloonamahon, give it a lick of paint and make it functional.

From talking to Ms Edel Quinn, HSE head of disability services for the area, for whom I have huge time and respect - I spoke to her at 3.30 p.m. today - the building will not be operationalised to support many of the families because people with higher-sized wheelchairs might not be able to access the building. I take that on board because she is the lead and everything else. However, it will be able to support many more people, as it should. If Tullaghan is the place where larger-sized wheelchairs have to go, they will be prioritised to go there but, in the interim, we should use one of those bungalows that would support families and be the only met need in south Leitrim.

The Deputy is not alone in his ask because his colleagues, including Deputy Marc MacSharry and the Minister of the State at the Department of Health, Deputy Feighan, have advocated the same piece. Common sense and a dose of reality needs to come in. We have a building that can provide support while we are constructing a new purpose-built, respite and residential facility in Carrick-on-Shannon. My ask of Ms Quinn was to go back again today. Her ask of me was to engage with the CEO of HIQA to ensure that HIQA would give the HSE a delegated function to operate on the site. I need HIQA to approve operation on the site of one of those bungalows so that while we are de-congregating the other building could be used. We have gone to HIQA this evening to find out whether we can get a derogation. Could one of those bungalows be used while we decongregate? I will engage further with the Deputy in my next response.

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