Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for being here. I very much appreciate it in light of her responsibility for mental health. I know it is an individual case and that people in her position do not like discussing such cases. However, this is a particular case and I am delighted to have the opportunity to raise it today. It concerns Igor Baker, whose father is in the Public Gallery. We are talking about a young man who has been tragically let down by the State since he arrived in Ireland. He was misdiagnosed at the age of 13 as having schizophrenia but he never had the condition. This young man suffers from autism and has basically been residing at the Ashlin Centre in Beaumont Hospital since 30 September 2015. He has violent tendencies and his parents cannot care for him adequately in the family home. Beaumont Hospital realised this, as did every doctor who came into contact with the family. The Minister of State will know that sometimes one comes across these cases where a family is looking for a place. There is a residential unit somewhere and the family wants to either obtain a place or get onto the list for a place. We do our best in those individual circumstances. What strikes me about this case, which is the reason I am raising it, is that everybody involved accepts that this young man cannot live at home. His parents have done their best for him. The Ashlin Centre admitted this young man on 30 September 2015 and he still lives there voluntarily. If he were to walk out onto the street tomorrow morning, there is nothing the hospital or the centre could do stop him.

There is a place for this young man at the newest centre in Kildare, so the issue appears to be funding. That the State, through the Ashlin Centre, is keeping this young man does not make any sense. Why can this funding not be used to give him some chance in a much more appropriate setting at the newest centre? There seems to be a well-meaning conspiracy of convenience here. Everybody knows what needs to be done and that what this young man is going through is not appropriate for his needs. English is not his first language. He needs a sustainable, long-term care plan. I do not know how the other people who live at the newest centre got in there in the first instance. Obviously, they have situations that are similar to that of Igor Baker but funding was acquired to allow them to live at that centre. I cannot think of any case in my political career where everybody agrees what should happen but there seems to be a blockage somewhere. What is it that has permitted the State to allow Igor to remain in Beaumont Hospital, effectively on a day-to-day basis, since 30 September 2015 but that does not allow it to give him, his family and the people who love him the opportunity to access long-term care in a setting that is appropriate to his needs? Obviously, the answer is money but why are we spending so much money to keep him in Beaumont Hospital instead of giving him the chance he needs to live the life he deserves to live in this country surrounded by people who can care for him appropriately and satisfy his family that he is being cared for appropriately?

I know that departmental officials will say that it is an individual case and that they do not like discussing such cases. However, I think the Minister of State will agree that this is a particularly unusual one. The Baker family are private people who do not necessarily want their private matters discussed on the airwaves. They appeared on the Claire Byrne show a number of months ago when the case was discussed. They do not necessarily want this case raised on the floor of the Seanad, the Dáil or anywhere else. They just want a solution. I appeal to the Minister of State to agree with me that what has been done with this young man is inappropriate and we need to find a more appropriate and sustainable solution for him and his family. I would be interested in hearing the Minister of State's thoughts.