Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach Gníomhach as seasamh isteach dom chun deis a thabhairt dom an cheist seo a ardú. Hesed House provided a valuable counselling service in Inchicore serving more than 80 clients a week. Anybody who knows the area will know of many of the problems that have been visited on not only the Inchicore area but Dublin 8, 10 and 12 in general on top of having just come through a pandemic.

This counselling service served individuals, couples and the local schools. It provided a vital service in the area. There was a waiting list for counselling. There are two full-time therapists, two part-time therapists, a number of volunteers, an administrator and clinical director. Hesed House provided a brilliant service, but it is now in liquidation. I am not here to ask the Minister of State to go into the details of what caused that liquidation. Clearly the HSE or the charity regulator has responsibilities in respect of due diligence if there were questions relating to governance, public funding, oversight or corporate failings. I am raising the issue because there is now no service in place. Anybody who has worked with people who have been in counselling will recognise that continuity of counselling is vital, particularly given the year we have been through.

Can the Minister of State guarantee that the funding the HSE provided to this service in the past will remain for counselling in the area? Can we get some stopgap measure in the first instance to ensure that counselling continues for those who require it? We also need to build up a new counselling service on the same type of model, a free counselling service as needed by many of the families in the area.

The drugs task force in the area has assured me that its portion of the funding from the HSE will remain in the area. I am not sure about the Tusla money. Those were the three streams of funding as well as a small amount of funding the volunteers and therapists managed to raise.

There is a clear demand and the support for such a service in the area from the partnership. I am on the drugs task force. Local schools have been crying out for expansion of the services that were there. The Core Youth Service, Common Ground, St. Michael's family resource centre and many more have stated they were appalled that it was closing. We need to bear in mind that people are losing jobs, some of them after ten or 15 years in employment.

The facility closed on 4 June. Hopefully we will be able to help people to get services in other areas, but I ask for the HSE to step in. This is not additional money. This is the money that is already allocated but it now needs to be diverted to provide a counselling service that up to now was provided by a different company in Hesed House.

It is an area that like many other areas of Dublin has felt the effects of poverty, crime and many other ailments that affect our society. I hope the Minister of State will be able to give me good news today.

Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Ó Snodaigh for raising the issue. I welcome this opportunity to update the House on the closure of Hesed House in Inchicore.

I take this opportunity to reaffirm the Government's commitment to implementing the national drugs strategy, and its commitment to a health-led approach to drug use and the development of harm-reduction interventions in all communities. I am very aware of the important role that organisations such as Hesed House played under the drugs strategy in assisting families to cope with addiction issues through family therapy and counselling services.

I understand that Hesed House received €287,000 in public funding in 2020, with €108,000 from HSE addiction services, €132,000 from Canal Communities Drug and Alcohol Local Task Force, and €47,000 from Tusla. As the Deputy said, organisations entrusted and funded by the State to provide services on its behalf are accountable for that funding.

I understand that the HSE notified Hesed House on 1 December 2020 that it would cease funding the organisation at the end of June 2021 due to ongoing concerns over its governance and operation. Unfortunately, attempts by the HSE and the local drug and alcohol task force to contact and engage with the service to explore alternative arrangements for funding were unsuccessful.

All section 39 agencies part-funded by the Government are accountable to the State. Therefore, standards of governance, accountability, compliance and regulatory structures must be adhered to. The section 39 sector provides vital services for thousands of people throughout Ireland. I am very grateful for the work that is carried out by these providers on behalf of the HSE.

Sadly, the board of management of the service made a decision in May 2021 to close the service on 4 June 2021. I understand that the HSE became aware of this through Hesed House staff on 3 June.

A review of the service in 2018 highlighted the very small proportion of individuals attending Hesed House who were receiving care for addiction-related issues. As Minister of State with responsibility for the national drugs strategy, I intend to do all that I can to ensure that the closure of Hesed House does not have a significant impact on people in Dublin 8, 10 and 12 accessing appropriate care, as the Deputy articulated very well.

I welcome the assurance by the HSE that a number of projects within the Dublin 8, 10 and 12 areas provide counselling and that any gaps in service provision will be addressed through these services. I have asked the drug's policy unit in my Department to liaise with the HSE with the aim of ensuring all service users of Hesed House gain access to alternative appropriate care in their area.

If any issues are outstanding, I ask the Deputy to email them to me and I will try to raise them within the Department. We are concerned about care and also about staff. If we can be of assistance on any issues at this difficult time, I would be only too happy to help.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for the reassurance regarding ongoing issues. It is still raw because the service has only just closed. Indeed, the closing date was brought forward. There was a creditors' meeting at which no answers were given. I am glad the Minister of State has given the assurance that the HSE will ensure that the Dublin 8, 10 and 12 areas will be provided with counselling and that any gaps in service provision will be addressed through those services.

Those who have now been left without counselling services in the community, the young people and families with whom Hesed House, which has been there for 28 years, has worked in the past, are now in a vulnerable position. They have been assured, insofar as is possible, that services will be available. The service grew out of the community. All of the local organisations were able to access it. Schools in particular, which in other areas are often crying out for services, had one here. Young people in particular could turn up at the doorstep and be looked after. It also stood up to the mark during the pandemic. Given where we are as a society with regard to mental health and what we have experienced over the pandemic of the last two years, never mind all of the additional pressures faced by people living in those areas, it is vital that a service which can last, rather than a stopgap measure, be put in place as soon as possible. I am happy that the Minister of State has assured us that the drugs policy unit in his Department will liaise with the HSE to ensure that a service is put in place and, if at all possible, that all the community stakeholders will work together to ensure that this service is put in place as quickly as possible so that there will not be a break in counselling or therapy for those most in need.

Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Ó Snodaigh for the opportunity to update him on the closure of Hesed House in Inchicore. As he rightly said, 28 years is a long time. This service came out of the needs of the community. I reiterate my commitment, as Minister of State with responsibility for the national drugs strategy, to do all I can to ensure the decision of the board of management of Hesed House to close the service will not have a significant impact on the ability of the people of Dublin 8, Dublin 10 and Dublin 12 to access appropriate care.

I also acknowledge the identified need for counselling services for families and individuals with regard to both mental health and addiction. The Department of Health and the HSE are dedicated to ensuring that service of the highest quality is available to all of those who require it. Once again, I welcome the assurance of the HSE that there are a number of projects within the Dublin 8, Dublin 10 and Dublin 12 areas that provide counselling. Any gaps in service provision will be addressed via these services. I am pleased to learn that a meeting took place today between the liquidator appointed to Hesed House and the HSE. I hope this has brought greater clarity to the situation.

As I have said, we are very fortunate to have the HSE addiction services, the Canal Communities Local Drug and Alcohol Task Force and Tusla. I will heap tremendous praise on the local task force. Its workers are the people on the ground who work with all the various stakeholders, which the Deputy has rightly identified. These are the people working in addiction services in the interests of the community. We are very fortunate to have such a professional, dedicated and strong team in the Canal Communities Local Drug and Alcohol Task Force. I look forward to working with them in the future.