Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)

St. Mary of the Angels and St. Francis Special School in Beaufort in the heart of County Kerry is a very special place. The special needs community in Kerry has a major respite crisis. The families do not have the time to wait. The ground and the campus at St. Mary of the Angels should be made accessible now. Families do not have time to wait. They need help. They are not asking for full-time residential care but respite care, a break and a helping hand. Having more respite will cost the Government far less than full-time residential places. The Doyle family, who so generously donated these lands many years ago for children with profound disabilities and special needs, should have their wishes followed through. There are services there, empty buildings and 30 acres of prime development land. A one-size-fits-all approach has to be taken into consideration as many of the children who attend St. Francis Special School or many of the children in the county with profound needs need a safe haven where they can roam the grounds freely. St. Mary of the Angels offers this. Houses in the community, while they are necessary, do not meet the needs of all the children who are by and large young adults or adults today.

A number of Ministers have visited the campus in recent times, including the Minister, Deputy Foley, the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Moynihan, and, more recently, the Minister of State Deputy Naughton. Others will be visiting the campus in the near future. The time is opportune to push this on and develop it for respite. Families are crying out for help. They are at the end of their tether, to be honest about it. They are only getting one or two weekends in the year. A working group is being formed. St. John of God, the HSE and representatives of the residents, St. Mary of the Angels and St. Francis school and others need to sit down and get respite provided there as soon as humanly possible. Parents are worn out and they need help. There are very few positions in respite available in our county. It is in the programme for Government to make disability a key factor. Now is the time; it is opportune. We have the site, the campus, the buildings and the services there. Please help these people. They need all our help. They have been forgotten about for far too long. I have met with the parents individually and collectively. Their stories are harrowing. I am pleading again tonight to help these people. It is a small ask. They are doing tremendous work at home but there is only so much they can do.

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