Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)

Historically, the respite at Cúnamh Iveragh respite centre in Cahersiveen has been offered from Friday to Sunday. It is only running at half-capacity. There were four beds there. It is two adults per night instead of four. I am reliably informed the issue is that the HSE is not releasing the funding. I cannot understand or accept that. I ask the Minister of State to address this issue. The facility should be available to the parents who are crying out for overnight respite. This should be done sooner rather than later. In every corner of our county there are parents begging and it is not good enough and not fair. Again, I am pleading here tonight. I have raised this matter several times since I was elected to Dáil Éireann on 1 December at 10 o'clock. It is a top priority for me and my constituents in Kerry, and especially the families. As I mentioned earlier, I have met parents individually and collectively. Their stories are harrowing and would break your heart. That is not good enough. We have a facility in the heart of the county, in mid-Kerry not far from where I live. It is a beautiful top-class campus. To see what St. Francis special school is doing for the children there. There is a big gap when the children reach 18 years of age and go on to adulthood. We need to address this sooner rather than later.

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