Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

On a different matter, I welcome the Taoiseach's announcement the other day on Lough Funshinagh. An Bord Pleanála will get the application before Friday. I know it is three weeks late and I hope it can be expedited. I welcome it.

This evening, we will debate the Apple tax and we are talking about fair sums of money in the budget. Money does not solve every problem. In late 2022, I met Kevin and Seán, a father and son. Seán is severely autistic and non-verbal. Unfortunately, he sleeps only for short intervals. He goes out to the kitchen and he could wreck the house or go out and wreck the car. The father has other younger children who, unfortunately, have encountered difficult situations with their sibling. It is not Seán's fault.

We engaged the services and went through all the processes with the HSE. I raised this issue with the Taoiseach's colleague, the former Taoiseach, Deputy Varadkar, and the leader of Fianna Fáil, Deputy Micheál Martin, twice in the last two years. We had numerous meetings with the HSE and the Brothers of Charity at which we were promised the sun, moon and stars.

Ironically, this is not about money. I remember we were promised respite, which was provided for a while and then disappeared. Seán was tried out in a new place to see how he would go but unfortunately, because of his situation, he put his hand through a window. The operators, because they are private operators, just said they did not want it.

We were promised that the minute Seán turned 18 years and became an adult, in July, he would have a place because there was no place before that. We have had meetings with the Brothers of Charity and the HSE since January. In January, in fairness to the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, and a person in the west of Ireland who is over this and whom I will not name because the person is a civil servant, the money was granted for this by the HSE. We had three meetings with the Brothers of Charity at which we talked about houses in three places. The Brothers of Charity told us they had to get the houses ready and we said that was fine. We asked them to stick with us and they said they would. This continued from February or March. When July came and Seán became an adult, the Brothers of Charity said the houses were not ready yet. They said they had to decide on a house, which would take a few more months and be gradual. We then had a bomb thrown at us when the Brothers of Charity chief wrote to the father to say they were sending the money back to the HSE and were no longer going to provide this service.

I am not criticising the person who granted the money. The money was granted by the HSE. What is going on in the charitable sectors for people with disabilities is pathetic. The way in which that youngster has been treated is pathetic. His father had to bring him to the accident and emergency unit in Galway on Monday. The psychiatric unit in Roscommon hospital would not take him. The house has been absolutely wrecked in recent days.

See this speech in context