Alex White (Dublin South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chairman and the Senator for their kind words of welcome. It is a pleasure to be back in this Chamber, albeit in a different capacity. I look forward to a fruitful relationship with colleagues here in the months and years ahead.

I thank the Senator for raising the matter, which I am addressing on behalf of my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, who, as the Senator is aware, has responsibility for this area. A broad range of needs are covered under the heading of respite. For some families, it provides a space away from the continuing and cumulative strain of supporting and caring for someone with significant and complex needs. In other situations, respite enables the child or adult to spend time with friends in ordinary community settings, for example, going for a meal or to the cinema. For other families, respite ensures that a reliable arrangement is in place if they have a family or work commitment that may take them away from the family home for a given period.

The Minister of State, Deputy Lynch, and I are very much aware that respite services form a vital part of the continuum of services for families and help to preserve the family unit and support family stability. We are also aware of the impact the absence of respite service provision can have on other services. However, the health service as a whole must operate within the parameters of funding available to it. Given the current economic environment this is a challenge for all stakeholders, including the HSE, voluntary service providers, services users and their families. If respite services were to be exempt from cost-recovery measures, day services and residential services would have to bear the full burden of the necessary adjustments.

The Senator raised a specific issue relating to the Muiríosa Foundation and Laois Respite Services. The Muiríosa Foundation, like other service providers, is addressing the increased demand on its services within a more restricted budget. The standard response that has evolved in the area of respite is for a professionally staffed, centre-based respite facility to offer an overnight arrangement. Unfortunately, there are significant costs associated with this approach. The current situation in County Laois is that the house at Fountain View, Abbeyleix, which had been providing adult respite during the past decade, has formally ceased offering respite support. However, the house has not been closed. A residential service will continue to be provided at Fountain View but the implications may vary from family to family as a consequence. Some families will retain their current level of access to centre-based respite. Others may secure an increase or decrease in this type of respite, depending on what is appropriate in individual cases. Other families may be directed towards share-a-break options, which are suitable in the case of some individual service users.

I understand that individual families are being briefed on the rationale behind the current changes and the implications for their family member. The HSE has informed the Minister that the Muiríosa Foundation has its full support for the proposed changes, which are aimed at providing the best mix of respite services in County Laois generally. I urge all involved to work together to achieve the most appropriate outcome for each individual involved, having regard to the optimum mix of services that can be provided within the resources available.