Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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Cuisle is a unique holiday centre in Ireland and, probably, across Europe. It provides 24-7 care support at a fully accessible holiday and respite centre. It also provides nursing support. The Irish Wheelchair Association has said one of the reasons it is pulling out of the centre is that there has been a reduction in bed night usage at the facility. The six-year average bed-night usage at Cuisle is 4,800 per annum. By the end of 2019, 4,380 bed nights will have been used. The reason for the drop-off has been the lack of recruitment of staff to operate a holiday facility over weekends.

We are now being told Cuisle is not suitable because it is an institution. However, the Irish Wheelchair Association wrote to members of Roscommon County Council in 2018 to say that its facilities resembled those of a hotel and included 34 en suitetwin and double bedrooms, the Castle restaurant, Harry's Bar, a leisure suite and gyms. That does not look to me like it is an institution. Further, BDO consultants prepared a report at the time setting out a business plan for the tourism development of that facility, yet the Irish Wheelchair Association now says it is not viable.

Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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I will add to the sentiments expressed by Deputy Naughten - Deputy Fitzmaurice will speak in a moment - on the shock and consternation in the community of Donamon in Roscommon at how this matter has been handled. The Minister of State visited the area approximately two and a half years ago and he was quite impressed with the centre. He has been a champion for people with disabilities. The budget for 2019 was almost €40 million, which is a record amount. Money is required and refurbishments need to be done. That will cost €1.2 million or €1.3 million. Surely this money can be found out of that €40 million budget?

The Irish Wheelchair Association needs to pull its horns in here. It must respect the public representatives who were elected to represent the people and meet them when they are asked to do so. I urge the Minister of State, who is good at his job, to clarify the information that has been provided to him by Members of the Oireachtas and to ensure that action is taken. This is a disgraceful act. It is not acceptable that any group should make a decision of this type without consultation.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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I thank the Minister of State for the meeting earlier. Some 48 jobs in a rural area are at stake, as well as the fine facilities at the Cuisle centre. There has been talk of the new hotel model. Nobody is opposed to the use of different models but when one listens to them they speak of a ten year projected model. Do they refer to a new HSE model? Works are required but, to be fair, the Divine World Missionaries have said that there would not be a problem with a lease or trying to help financially. We need to pause. Solutions must be found and I ask the Minister of State to intervene in order to ensure that those jobs are saved. This facility is the jewel in the crown in our area. It is one of the finest facilities in the west. We talk about the Hidden Heartlands and there is great potential in this with people working together. Will the Minister of State talk to the head of the Irish Wheelchair Association in order to ensure that this is paused so that plans can be put in place for the benefit of everyone, especially the wheelchair users who avail of the facility.

Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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I thank Deputies Denis Naughten, Eugene Murphy and Fitzmaurice for raising this very important issue and for giving me the opportunity to respond.

The Government is committed to providing services and supports for people with disabilities which will empower them to live independent lives, provide greater independence in accessing the services they choose and enhance their ability to tailor the supports required to meet their needs and plan their lives. This year, €1.9 billion has been allocated to the HSE's disability services programme. This is funding the provision of a wide and complex range of services and supports to people with disabilities, including the provision of home support packages and respite services, within available resources. Respite can occur in a variety of settings for any length of time, depending on the needs of the individual, the family and available resources. In recent years, there have been positive changes in accessibility standards in Ireland that now present a greater range of choice and options for people with disabilities seeking a holiday or respite. Consequently, there has been a shift in best practice approaches. This is reflected in current HSE policy - Time to Move on from Congregated Settings: A Strategy for Community Inclusion - and Sláintecare.

In line with this, Irish Wheelchair Association has decided to transition its holiday service in the west to provide accessible hotel holidays into the future, and to move away from its holiday facility at Cuisle, County Roscommon. Cuisle requires major capital development in respect of fire upgrade works estimated to be in the order of €1.5million. The Irish Wheelchair Association has indicated that this level of capital funding is not available within its current resources. Notwithstanding the requirement to ensure regulatory standards are maintained, the HSE has confirmed to Irish Wheelchair Association that this level of capital investment is not considered viable in the context of other potential alternative service options and models from which to deliver respite services.

The Irish Wheelchair Association is planning to provide a wider range of choice to people with disabilities seeking to take a supported respite holiday in the west by partnering with accessible hotels. This new and innovative service will commence in March 2020 in conjunction with the HSE. The Irish Wheelchair Association has been operating comparable hotel holiday breaks in Kilkenny since 2018 and has received positive feedback across the board from guests. Some 99% of guests said that they would return. This service was also shortlisted for an Irish Healthcare Centre award in 2019. The Irish Wheelchair Association hopes that in the coming years, its accessible hotel holiday service will expand to key destinations across the country.

The move to the new holiday service will mean that the Cuisle buildings will not open in 2020. The Irish Wheelchair Association acknowledges the contribution of staff at Cuisle for their contribution to the respite service in the west. Where possible, the Irish Wheelchair Association will offer redeployment opportunities to staff and is engaging with local staff members and their representatives to ensure minimum impact.

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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We are looking at 45 job losses. If we were we talking about the Minister of State's constituency, the equivalent would be 1,200 job losses. The staff have been given 20 working days notice. That does not show that the Irish Wheelchair Association is acknowledging the contribution of the staff. The staff have also been told by management that there are no, or very minimal opportunities, for redeployment.

The Minister of State has just told the House that the Irish Wheelchair Association is suspending its respite services for five months until the new service comes into play next March. That is totally unacceptable to the service users. Finally, under no circumstances will we in the community will not accept the removal of equipment which was fundraised for by the local community and was funded through the Exchequer being removed from the Cuisle facility because we believe the facility has a viable future as a going concern. We plead with the Minister of State to ensure that there is an extension of 12 months to allow us to put in place a viable alternative.

Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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I plead with the Minister of State to pause the Irish Wheelchair Association's decision. Let us give it a year to see if we can examine and resolve this problem. I am using strong words but how dare the Irish Wheelchair Association carry on like this and behave in this way towards elected representatives? Its treatment of workers has been disgraceful. Some 45 or 46 jobs are at stake. The treatment of the workers is outrageous. What is wrong with this facility? When he visited the area, the Minister of State stated that the facility is outstanding. The decision must be reversed, at least in the short term. Many people use this facility. Not long ago, I received a call from Deirdre, an Irish Wheelchair Association member from Dublin, who had read about this online as did many of her friends. This is disgraceful carry on from a body which has just received €40 million, with the help of the Minister of State, over the past year. I again ask the Minister of State to please reverse this decision, in the short term at least.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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There is no way that by next March the Irish Wheelchair Association will be able to accommodate over 20,000 bed nights throughout the country. The Irish Wheelchair Association has already outlined that the facilities required are not there in many counties. In general, one gives three or six months notice to staff when it is planned to close a premises. These staff were given 28 or 29 days. On the matter of redundancy or redeployment, the staff have been told bluntly that the chance of redeployment is minimal to none. If the Irish Wheelchair Association ultimately wants to decide that it will not run this any more that is fine. However, it should give us space to work on it. To be fair, the owners of the buildings, the Divine World Missionaries, are willing to help out. A setting of drawings is required. It is possible to throw figures at anything and say something will cost €1.5 million or pluck them out of the sky, but let us see. The community, along with the Divine World Missionaries, Government help and the Irish Wheelchair Association must be given the space required to help immediately.

Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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I thank the Deputies for their support for Cuisle.

I take on board the points they raised, particularly with regard to staff. I will convey their views and concerns to the HSE.

The Deputies mentioned the Irish Wheelchair Association partnering with hotels. This is to provide people with disabilities with modern and fully-inclusive independent hotel breaks at a range of locations, with easy access to local towns and a wider choice of amenities. The Irish Wheelchair Association has the ethos of delivering services that respond to the wishes of its members. The new service will be located in accessible hotels in the Galway area and the midlands. The Irish Wheelchair Association is in the final stages of the procurement process and will soon be able to announce the exact locations involved.

I am aware of the matters raised by the Deputies and I agree that there will be an impact on people with high-dependency issues. These will require clarification and I have instructed HSE officials in the past few minutes to ensure that this will happen in consultation with the Irish Wheelchair Association. I will revert to the relevant Deputies with this clarification over the coming days. It is essential that common sense prevails. In that context, the Deputies have put forward sensible solutions. I give a commitment that these solutions will be put on the table in trying to resolve the matter.

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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We will not get any better community facilities than those in County Roscommon.

Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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Hear, hear.