Mary Moran (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate that Senator Quinn has given way and I thank him for doing so. I welcome the Minister for Health, Deputy Varadkar, to the House.

I wish to raise on the Adjournment a matter that I first raised more than a year ago. Unfortunately, in that time, nothing has changed. I wish to raise the case of a young girl with an intellectual disability who is in urgent need of residential care. I have spoken to those in the HSE and St. John of God in Drumcar, where the girl attends day services. Unfortunately St. John of God has a no-admissions policy now and the HSE has insufficient funding to provide a residential placement. I have tried everything to move this case forward and have met the officials on the many occasions.

This young girl has an intellectual disability, but she also has extremely challenging behaviour and her parents cannot cope with the situation. I have been to their house and I know the young lady in question. The situation is at crisis point. I am raising this case today but I am also relating it to the more general issue, because I know that in my area of Louth there are up to 30 people on the waiting list for residential placement with the HSE, and I am led to believe the list for places in St. John of God is even greater. This is a major problem and it will become a crisis as the years go by and as elderly parents are trying to cope with their loved ones and find places for them. I am asking for this case to be progressed. I know that since my last meeting with St. John of God it has been agreed that this girl will receive respite hours. Everybody recognises the urgency of this case, which is at crisis point.

Let me restate that we are at a major crisis point. I am asking the Minister not to give me a stock answer again. I acknowledge that additional respite care has been offered, but to me it is like putting a plaster on a very deep wound. It will solve the situation only in the medium term. In the long term we need an admissions policy or extra funding or whatever it takes. I am raising the case of one individual, but there are three crises in County Louth and 30 people on the waiting list. How many more are there throughout the country? These are vulnerable people and their families are the most vulnerable families. They have so much to deal with.