Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will be brief because I have had a look at the Minister of State's statement and I do not want to repeat what previous speakers have said, other than to say that it should never have come to this. It is as simple as that. Fine Gael is in government and has known about this issue because it has been ongoing for some time. I have spoken to some people in the St. John of God Hospital group who are involved. It was unsustainable that it had to keep dipping into its own resources to keep services afloat. This is not a new issue that arose last week or the week before. It has been going on for months.

I should declare that I was a director of the National Treatment Purchase Fund for two terms. I am, therefore, fully aware of the NTPF's role in organisations similar to this one and the power of negotiation in fixing prices. There must be consistency. For every case where there is a problem, a balanced approach must be taken and one must be mindful of the overall picture. I appreciate and understand that.

It is of some comfort that the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, has given an assurance that St. Joseph's will not close. Why would he not do so given that the facility borders on his constituency? It falls within the Dún Laoghaire electoral constituency but matters related to health should not reflect on the political landscape around it. The reality, however, is that this facility is located close to the Minister's constituency. It is disappointing that it has taken so long to address this issue. It has come to the stage where the owner and provider of this service, the St. John of God Hospital group, had to indicate its concern. Ultimately, as Senator Devine said, it had to give notice to the carers, families involved and the staff and management in St. Joseph's and flag its concern. It would have been irresponsible of it to have left it any later to do so.It has, however, focused minds because we are talking about it today. As a member of the Joint Committee on Health, I suggest asking the Minister and his officials to come before the committee, along with some of the providers of the service, to explain what is happening. We have to keep the momentum going. I welcome the fact that the Minister of State is here and I have always been extremely supportive of him because his heart is in the right place. I am sure that if he could write an open cheque for this he would do so. It is important to keep the pressure up, from all parties in this House and the Dáil, and the health committee should raise it. It is about how we treat our most vulnerable people, be they young people, people with disabilities or older people, who are the majority though I also know a brother and sister aged under 60 who live in this facility. Alzheimer's disease and dementia do not just hit older people. These two people do not even know they are brother and sister on the same premises and that is a story in itself. I suggest we raise the matter in a week's time in the Seanad as we need to keep it going and to give comfort to families and carers. I acknowledge the staff at the top and bottom of this organisation, which I know well because I visit it on many occasions. It is an amazing service - a purpose-built facility which is a model for the way we should be caring for people and could be replicated many times over because the demand exists for it across the country. Let us keep the momentum up for a resolution to something that should never have come this far.