Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)

The Minister of State is one of the more diligent Ministers of State when it comes to trying to be genuine in his answers. I have been asking parliamentary questions for months looking for a date for when this is to be opened. The Minister has not provided me with that and it is the Minister who is responsible, not the HSE. The Minister is answerable to this Dáil in this Chamber and has refused to answer that question. I want that stated on the floor of this House. I have had to chase the Ceann Comhairle.

The Minister of State was not able to provide a date, or a month, when the 50 beds will be open. Everything he has said there I know. It might be extra information to him, and I appreciate that, but I know it. I know the HSE has gone to HIQA. By the way, this was the same HIQA which was meant to have the review into acute services in the mid-west out this month, which we still have not seen. The review by HIQA of turning this into a nursing home should take as long as it does to snap my fingers. It is the most modern building in Ireland when it comes to nursing homes. At €24 million it would want to be. The issue is when the 50 beds will be available to the 30 or more people from around the locality who desperately need it, because they are stuck in hospitals for months at €2,000 per night to the taxpayer. When will it be open? I need to know that. I understand the staff will transfer from St. Conlon’s. I understand the staff will come from the panels. I understand there are the people who were working for Bartra - local people and people who have come from all over the world - who have been treated absolutely disgracefully by Bartra. It was put out that they would in some way TUPE into this. They will have to apply to the HSE now to get on a panel to get in there. Bartra should be looked into by the Minister of State’s Department and the HSE to see how that happened, but that is another issue. I want to know when this will open. That is all I want to know. Give me a date, give me a month. That is all I want to know. Please do that, because I have been here twice now with the Minister of State and I have not got than answer. I really need to know it because there are so many people in the locality who need this open because not every nursing home will take people who are high-dependency.

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