Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As the Minister of State has said, there is currently one respite house between two counties catering for adults and children on alternative weeks only. That is entirely insufficient and has been for years.

The respite people are getting is in most cases insufficient. There are many on waiting lists who are not getting any. I have even spoken to people who have not applied at all even though they need it or know they will need it in the future but they feel it is pointless because they hear of others who have been waiting so long. Then there are some who are unsure how to even apply. That just points to a deficit of information being provided to people around disability services in general and what supports are available.

The Annalee respite centre has five rooms. I spoke to some of the staff there who said that, for example, many of the cases they are seeing coming in are autistic people, both children and adults, and there is no sensory room. There is a big need for something like that. There is perhaps a big need for an upgrade and extension in that house but there is definitely a need for a separate house completely. To clarify, is the Minister of State still talking about one house between the two counties? Is it one house to cater for children between Cavan and Monaghan? Would she ever see a time when there would be a house for children in each county?

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