Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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St. Mary of the Angels and St. Francis Special School in Beaufort in the heart of County Kerry is a very special place. The special needs community in Kerry has a major respite crisis. The families do not have the time to wait. The ground and the campus at St. Mary of the Angels should be made accessible now. Families do not have time to wait. They need help. They are not asking for full-time residential care but respite care, a break and a helping hand. Having more respite will cost the Government far less than full-time residential places. The Doyle family, who so generously donated these lands many years ago for children with profound disabilities and special needs, should have their wishes followed through. There are services there, empty buildings and 30 acres of prime development land. A one-size-fits-all approach has to be taken into consideration as many of the children who attend St. Francis Special School or many of the children in the county with profound needs need a safe haven where they can roam the grounds freely. St. Mary of the Angels offers this. Houses in the community, while they are necessary, do not meet the needs of all the children who are by and large young adults or adults today.

A number of Ministers have visited the campus in recent times, including the Minister, Deputy Foley, the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Moynihan, and, more recently, the Minister of State Deputy Naughton. Others will be visiting the campus in the near future. The time is opportune to push this on and develop it for respite. Families are crying out for help. They are at the end of their tether, to be honest about it. They are only getting one or two weekends in the year. A working group is being formed. St. John of God, the HSE and representatives of the residents, St. Mary of the Angels and St. Francis school and others need to sit down and get respite provided there as soon as humanly possible. Parents are worn out and they need help. There are very few positions in respite available in our county. It is in the programme for Government to make disability a key factor. Now is the time; it is opportune. We have the site, the campus, the buildings and the services there. Please help these people. They need all our help. They have been forgotten about for far too long. I have met with the parents individually and collectively. Their stories are harrowing. I am pleading again tonight to help these people. It is a small ask. They are doing tremendous work at home but there is only so much they can do.

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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Thar ceann an Aire Leanaí, Míchumais agus Comhionannais, an Teachta Foley, is mian liom mo buíochas a ghabhail leis an Teachta as an ábhar tábhachtach seo a ardú agus as deis a thabhairt don Aire – is mé atá ag labhairt ar a son – freagra a thabhairt.

This Government acknowledges that demand for respite services across the country remains high and is working together with the HSE and service providers to increase provision. Increasing the provision of respite services is a key priority area for this Government and for people with disabilities and their families, as the Deputy has outlined.

The HSE advises that a range of respite models for children and adults is provided in Kerry. These include residential respite centres, after school-clubs, in-home support, outreach supports and holiday breaks. These options ensure that respite is provided in the manner which best meets the needs of people with disabilities, their families and carers. It is acknowledged that while there has been significant additional investment in respite, there remains an unmet need. The Deputy will be aware that St. Mary of the Angels campus, operated by St. John of God Services and funded by the HSE, is currently home to just over 50 people. Day services are also provided there. Furthermore, St. Francis Special School, funded by the Department of Education, is located on the campus grounds of St. Mary of the Angels. The Deputy is no doubt aware that in May 2005, services and ownership of St. Mary of the Angels was transferred from the Franciscan Sisters to the Hospitaller Order of St. John of God. Currently St. Mary of the Angels is operated by St. John of God Services Limited.

I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the HSE and St. John of God Services are working on expanding a working group to explore the future use of the St. Mary of the Angels site. The Department

The Department, along with the HSE, will continue to work with service providers and families to develop additional respite services.

Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Historically, the respite at Cúnamh Iveragh respite centre in Cahersiveen has been offered from Friday to Sunday. It is only running at half-capacity. There were four beds there. It is two adults per night instead of four. I am reliably informed the issue is that the HSE is not releasing the funding. I cannot understand or accept that. I ask the Minister of State to address this issue. The facility should be available to the parents who are crying out for overnight respite. This should be done sooner rather than later. In every corner of our county there are parents begging and it is not good enough and not fair. Again, I am pleading here tonight. I have raised this matter several times since I was elected to Dáil Éireann on 1 December at 10 o'clock. It is a top priority for me and my constituents in Kerry, and especially the families. As I mentioned earlier, I have met parents individually and collectively. Their stories are harrowing and would break your heart. That is not good enough. We have a facility in the heart of the county, in mid-Kerry not far from where I live. It is a beautiful top-class campus. To see what St. Francis special school is doing for the children there. There is a big gap when the children reach 18 years of age and go on to adulthood. We need to address this sooner rather than later.

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as ucht an t-ábhar tábhachtach seo a ardú inniu. We hear the passion Deputy Cahill brings to this issue. The future use of the site is currently under consideration by a working group. The Minister, Deputy Foley, wants to assure Deputy Cahill that this Government is committed to providing services and supports for people with disabilities, which will empower them to live their lives, provide greater independence in accessing their services and enhance their ability to tailor the supports required to meet their needs and plan their lives. The Department and the HSE are aware of the demand for respite services in Kerry. The Deputy has outlined that with great passion and vigour, in terms of what the constituents are saying in Kerry, and they are right. As outlined in the programme for Government, in response to this the Government is committed to increasing funding and the provision of respite services. Significant investment has been allocated to respite in recent years. It has gone from €6.4 million in 2019 to €12.4 million in 2024, which is an almost 100% increase in a six year period. The HSE advises that further regional respite services are being developed throughout Kerry to meet the needs of people closer to home, in locations that best meet the needs and minimise travel to services. The HSE will continue to work with service providers and families to develop the needs that Deputy Cahill rightly outlines in Kerry.

Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I ask the Minister of State to relay the importance of this issue to his Cabinet colleagues. I cannot emphasise strongly enough the importance of this issue and how difficult it is for all the families concerned in Kerry. I have no doubt it is similar in other counties and throughout the country. I am pleading again. It is an opportune site and an opportune location for the Department of children, the HSE and St. John of God to make a plan and not shove the can down the road any further. They are sick to death of hearing this over many years. It is time for action. It is in the programme for Government. It is supposed to be a priority of Government. We need it to happen now.