Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister of State will recall that I raised this matter with her earlier today in the course of the consideration of disability issues by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children. She may not have come across the detail of it at that time. I was unable to await her response owing to the clash with Second Stage debate on the Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill dealing with risk equalisation in health insurance.

The story of this long-awaited home for people with physical and sensory disabilities, two of whom and their families are known to me personally, has become a saga - I do not use that language lightly - of institutional incompetence. It demonstrates all too clearly the silo attitude across our public services, in this instance the almost complete inability of the key players to sit down together and rationally address and overcome the questions and difficulties that can arise in a cross-services project.

In this instance the players are the Department of Health, the HSE, the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, Monaghan County Council and the Respond Housing Association. I have seen so much correspondence over the years with one claiming the other has to do something or that another letter is due. It is unreal. Somewhere in there people are failing in their duty to assist this project move forward with appropriate speed and they are most certainly failing special and deserving people, and their families.

In Margaret Hughes's case, when I first Margaret with her mother, Philomena, living in sheltered housing in my home town, Philomena's dearest wish was that she would see her daughter safely provided for within her lifetime. Philomena is dead and gone and Margaret has not been provided for, as she should be. She is in a placement, but it is not the appropriate placement despite what some might suggest. In Romy Ward's case, her parents are also moving on in terms of age, and Briain and Sheila are hugely concerned for Romy's future. There was a promised placement in this new group home facility, which has yet to see a single sod turned after all these years.

I ask the Minister of State if she will personally intervene in the outrageously delayed commencement of the long promised group home in Carrickmacross, County Monaghan; that she would ensure that the serious disconnect between all the relevant entities, those I have named, the Department of Health, the Health Service Executive, the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, Monaghan County Council and Respond Housing Association is finally addressed and that the appropriate body from among their number, whoever that might be, would instruct the contractor to commence works immediately; and that she will assure the long waiting and long agonising intended occupants and their families of the earliest completion date possible.

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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As Deputy Ó Caoláin rightly said, he raised this matter already today. I will read the informed and official response but, equally, I will have someone find out exactly how we can progress the issue as speedily as possible.

In the first instance I wish to inform the House that the matters raised in relation to the commissioning and commencement of the group home in Carrickmacross fall under the statutory remit of the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government and the housing authorities. I have been informed that in April 2013 the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government and the housing authorities approved capital assistance scheme funding of €900,000 for the provision of a group home for people with physical and sensory disabilities at Drummond Otra, Convent Lands, Carrickmacross. I understand from the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government that, following receipt of a tender report showing a 50% increase in the cost of the project, it requested a value-for-money appraisal of the project. That is to be expected. Anyone of us seeing such an increase would baulk at it. As a result of this appraisal, a revised design was subsequently developed by the approved housing body and Monaghan County Council. In addition, it was necessary for Monaghan County Council, in advance of committing significant amounts of Exchequer funding to the scheme, to engage with the HSE and HIQA in relation to design issues, ensuring that the units will be fully occupied once completed and that the ongoing services required to meet the needs of the individuals using the facility are in place before going forward. We must ensure that as people age the group home is still sufficient for their requirements. I have been informed that these steps are now being finalised by Monaghan County Council and that a decision on funding will be provided by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government to Monaghan County Council shortly.

As part of a joined up interagency approach to delivering housing to people with a disability I am informed that the HSE disability services manager for Cavan and Monaghan will continue to work closely with officials from Monaghan County Council and Respond Housing Association in progressing proposals for the development of this facility. I hope we are at a point where, with a little bit of a push, we can bring the project over the line as quickly as possible. I agree that it has taken far too long.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State for attending here. It is the second time we have had the opportunity to address this matter in this House today. I note in the closing sentence of the opening remark the reference to, "As part of a joined-up interagency approach". I am sure the Minister of State will have had experiences similar to mine in this regard, that the thinking is not always as joined up as it must be. This is a major difficulty. It is not a reflection on the current Government or any previous Government in particular but I have often heard and seen examples of the failure of various Departments to even join up in terms of respective projects. In this case we have a multiple of different agencies and the project has not proceeded as it should.

In terms of the issue in relation to the increased cost of the project, one can understand that an inordinate increase required examination but it is a couple of years even since that point and we have still not reached the get-go to get on with the project. That is what is needed.

While I recognise that the response, like others delivered by the Minister of State, is not of her own hand, nevertheless I take comfort from what she said to me personally in this exchange that she will explore where things are at currently and endeavour to release the logjam to allow this project to proceed. It is absolutely essential that it would happen and it is vital for the cohort of young women who are coping in life with major physical and sensory disabilities that they are appropriately placed. I respectfully ask that the Minister of State would come back to me at the earliest opportunity with whatever report she can share.

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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It is late in the evening and I will be very brief. I will get someone to write to the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government tomorrow to outline our concerns on the delay and as soon as I get a response to that I will come back to the Deputy.