Fergal Browne (Fine Gael)

The Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Deputy Seán Power, is well acquainted with Myshall as his uncle lives in Newtown. The matter I raise has had a chequered history although, thankfully, it is now going in the right direction. The house for the centre is on the outskirts of Myshall village and was bought by the OPW in 2000 to be used as a refugee centre. That did not happen and the house was eventually given to the South Eastern Health Board. The health board did not want it but ended up with a property that has cost a fortune in maintenance and security in the meantime.

A group in Carlow is willing to establish a centre for adults with autism in the house. The Minister might be familiar with the Dunfirth centre in his constituency. I visited the centre recently with a group of parents from the Carlow and south-east area, along with Maria Dollard who is involved in the association. We saw at first hand the excellent work being done in Dunfirth with adults with autism. The adults work in workshops at baking, woodwork, ceramics and so forth. People with an autism spectrum disorder have a great affinity with nature and animals. Dunfirth provides them with an environment that benefits them. It is planned to provide a replica of Dunfirth, which is on the Kildare-Meath border, in Myshall.

The HSE has been involved in this process for some time but it appears to be putting the onus on the parents to do the work. That is wrong because there are people in the HSE who are assigned responsibility in this area. In July 2003 an independent review of autism facilities in the south east was carried out. The review estimated there were over 3,000 cases of autism in the south-east region. At least 50 of these are suitable for the proposed facility in Myshall. If the centre in Myshall was up and running there would be no difficulty is identifying possible clients for it and it would be able to grow.

It is important that parents have a facility for children with Asperger's syndrome or autism as a follow-up to the great work being done by the Delta centre in Carlow and by other similar organisations. The Minister will be familiar with the work being done in Holy Angels in Carlow, as well as in the Delta centre. The problem is that once the children turn 18, there is no other place for them.

Despite two famous court cases, the Jamie Sinnott case and the Marie O'Donoghue case, the Department appears to have learned nothing. The review of services for autism in the south east clearly specifies the need to develop, as a priority, appropriate services for adults with ASD. The good news is that a site has been identified in Myshall and it is in the ownership of the HSE. The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, whose Department is responsible for providing the grant to get the centre up and running, has indicated he will provide funding for the project. The HSE will be responsible for running the centre.

The project must be moved forward. Expressions of interest should be sought. That documentation has been ready since last August but it has not been progressed. The group involved with the project is interested in owning the property and developing it or in taking up a long-term lease, once it can get a guarantee that the HSE in 20 or 30 years time will not evict the residents. The group is happy to enter into any agreement that is acceptable to the HSE or the Department. Obviously, the group will link with local organisations such as the Delta centre in Carlow town and with the excellent work being done by BEAM in Bagenalstown.

Everything is ready to go. It is just a question of developing the site, which has turned into an eyesore and is falling into dereliction. There are seven acres with the house and the local community has indicated that there will be no difficulty leasing additional land if required. I hope the Minister can give an update on the progress being made on this project. The parents have been waiting years for this facility. I hope the Minister will use his influence in the Department to prioritise it so we will see action on it within six months.