Brendan Daly (Fianna Fail)

I support Senator McHugh with regard to the anomalies he raised, in particular those relating to people with disabilities and special needs. Yesterday, I asked whether we might have an overview on how this area is developing. There has been much legislation and administrative change and it is necessary to keep in touch with how these have affected people at local level.

I previously referred to the situation with regard to younger people who suffer the effect of strokes, given that there are not sufficient facilities for them. In my constituency, a small unit is attached to the geriatric hospital in Ennis, which caters for people over 65, but if a person is 64, he or she cannot get admission there. Such a person would be put on a waiting list for several months for the national rehabilitation unit in Dublin, which is over-burdened. There is a vacancy in the services which has not been filled nationally or locally.

This is a problem in many constituencies for younger people suffering the trauma and side effects of stroke, which are very debilitating, and it must be dealt with urgently. People have been waiting for months to get into the centre in Dún Laoghaire. There is an obligation on the Health Service Executive to put in place a facility for younger people who suffer in this regard. We might have some indication from the Minister for Health and Children, through the Leader, as to how it is proposed to deal with this matter.