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

The matter I will raise is a matter of great concern to the Taoiseach, his Minister for Health and all his Government. Currently, St. John of God in Kerry supports adults and children with intellectual disabilities. The breakdown in Kerry is as follows: 230 adults with intellectual disabilities attend residential and day care services throughout County Kerry. They attend 16 day services with facilities in their own communities in towns such as Castleisland, Killorglin, Kenmare, Dingle, Listowel and Tralee. People also travel to attend a day service on the grounds of St. Mary of the Angels. There are also nine group home facilities across Tralee and Killorglin, a further ten apartments where people are supported to live in Tralee and an excellent St. Mary of the Angels facility in Beaufort, where 58 residents live. On services for intellectual disability, five adults attend a respite service in Listowel, 50 children attend respite in Listowel and Beaufort and there is an after-school service in Cahersiveen. In excess of 400 hardworking staff work in various facilities across County Kerry, supporting men, women and children and their families. This is a public service and it is incumbent on the Government to maintain it.

Given that St. John of God Community Services has served notice to transfer, what guarantee can be given to the service users, their families and the staff in those services that their services will be maintained in the current facilities and that staff employment will be secure into the future? This is important because these are the most vulnerable people in our society. These are the people we cherish and we want them to be minded and cared for. No one can say they were surprised, but since this announcement was made by St. John of God, I heard Ministers saying they were shocked. I would love to know what shocked them. We all knew that there was an ongoing dispute about budgeting and that the ongoing negotiations had broken down so I cannot understand how any Minister would be surprised by the announcement by St. John of God.

I do not want to get into an argument over St. John of God or the HSE funding. I do not want to blame the Government or anything like that. I want to hear a caring Taoiseach and a caring Government say that they are concerned about this announcement and that their priority is the service users and their moms, dads, siblings and grandparents, just as they are the priority of everyone in this House. The budget will have to be sorted out, of course, but our main aim is to protect these vulnerable people who have physical or intellectual disabilities. They are our priority.

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