Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The first matter submitted is in the name of Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor. The Deputy wants to talk about the funding for the new building for the Holy Angels School for Children with Special Needs in Carlow. All of us in that part of the world are aware of the superb service provided by the Holy Angels school.

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, for taking this matter. I ask the Minister for a report on the very special Carlow school, the Holy Angels School for Children with Special Needs, which I have raised on a number of occasions in the Seanad. It is an issue very close to my heart. I am specifically looking for a report on a new building for the school as we head into another school term this autumn with Covid-19 very much at the forefront of our minds. The Holy Angels centre in Carlow was established in the basement of Carlow's old district hospital in 1978 because there was a need for day care for children with special needs. It is still operating more than four decades later as a specialised preschool for children aged 18 months to six years with special needs and caters for children with a range of disabilities. They are in urgent need of a school.

Holy Angels school has been on the priority list for a new build for more than five years. The HSE has made land available at Kelvin Grove for the new centre and I would like to know if any detailed delivery plan for the new building is being set out because this has been going on too long. I am concerned that the site at Kelvin Grove, as I am reliably told, is on the vacant properties register but I also believe we are meant to be looking at locating a women's refuge on the site. That is welcome because the site is big enough. However, there is no concrete plan in place. The children, their families, the staff and the management cannot wait any longer as the current conditions in the school simply are not good enough. I reiterate that the staff in Holy Angels are among the very best in the country but it is not fair to expect them to make the best of things when it is clear they are operating in a school which is not fit for purpose. As we all know, early intervention is essential for children attending such a specialised service to develop new skills and reach their full potential. The children, their families, the staff, the management and the wider community are relying on me to ensure that the centre will get their long-promised school. Holy Angels is at the centre of our community in Carlow and it is a centre we all actively support in whatever way we can do so. For far too long they have been on a priority list for a school that is fit for purpose but they still do not have their school.

These special children need a place to go that is fit for purpose. Their families and the staff need a building that is fit for purpose to continue with the great job they are doing.

The programme for Government states that we must plan early for adolescents and young adults with care needs such as special education, disability services or juvenile justice so they too can play a valued role in our society. With all the current constraints on capital funding, can I get a commitment that this long-promised school building will be forthcoming for the Holy Angels day care centre? It worries me that after 40 years the centre is still housed in prefabs. It is disgraceful. Children with special needs are in prefabs. Last year the then Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris, allocated a small amount of funding because the roof was leaking and there was a problem with the floor. If we do not get a new school I will have real concerns that the Holy Angels centre will not exist any more. I am seeking a commitment from the Minister of State. I look forward to hearing her response and I hope it is a good one.

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Murnane O'Connor for raising this important issue. The Deputy has long advocated a new building for the Holy Angels day care centre and her commitment to seeing progress on this project deserves to be acknowledged, as does the work the staff at Holy Angels do for children with disabilities. As can be seen in the programme for Government, we are committed to improving the lives of children with disabilities through further developing services and supports, particularly early access to assessment and intervention. This provides children with the best start in life, enabling them to reach their full potential.

In my role as Minister for State with responsibility for disabilities, I want to be open and transparent with Deputies on all issues raised with me, as well as my plans to improve and strengthen these areas. It is not just Deputies that deserve this degree of openness, but also people using disability services themselves. People deserve honesty, not waffle.

As Deputies are aware the area of disabilities is moving from the Department of Health to the newly reconfigured Department of Children and Youth Affairs. It will take time for this to happen. My hope is that once complete, this move will ensure a greater focus on disabilities. Instead of the sector being swamped by other issues in the Department of Health, this move will allow for clear pathways to be developed to ensure progress on capital projects like the Holy Angels day care centre, the reduction of waiting lists and access to disability services.

The Deputy raised the issue of a building for the Holy Angels centre with the then Minister of State, Finian McGrath, last December. Having looked at the file, I do not want to rehash information the Deputy already knows, which is of no real benefit either to the Deputy or to the children and staff of Holy Angels. As the Deputy will recall, following the meeting between the head of disability services and the board of management of Holy Angels in October 2019, a further meeting was to take place in March 2020. That meeting was put on hold because of the Covid-19 pandemic. A new meeting has been scheduled for 4 September. The head of disability services will meet with the board of management. This will take place in line with all Covid-19 guidelines. I can confirm that on the floor of the House tonight. The follow-up meeting which was arranged with the then Minister of State will take place on 4 September.

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. That is welcome news. It is so important that we get the funding for the Holy Angels day care centre. I cannot emphasise enough that it really is in a bad place. We have excellent staff and fabulous children. People in Carlow are proud of Holy Angels and the work it does but the prefabs are not fit for purpose after 40 years. I will be looking for capital funding. We need to get it as soon as possible. I thank the Minister of State for her reply. I will be at the meeting.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising that important matter and the Minister of State for dealing with it.