Maire Devine (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Leas-Chathaoirleach. I raise the threatened imminent closure, on 29 November, of Cuisle, the national respite centre and holiday resort for people with disabilities. The facility is funded by the Health Service Executive and run by the Irish Wheelchair Association. We have been informed by the Minister of State, Deputy McGrath, that the HSE is moving away from using holiday respite care centres towards a new model of using hotels. Yesterday, we had statements on the St Joseph's centre which is also under threat. The Cuisle centre is unique. Millions of euro have been pumped into this facility which offers personal assistance, medication management, 24-hour nurse supports, on-site night staff, accessible facilities, restaurants, bars, jacuzzis, saunas and indoor and outdoor gyms. It is a centre of excellence which is also used by international visitors. We need to have a debate about the substitution of these services with hotel stays. We are giving hotels more public money for profit. How can a centre of excellence for people with disabilities be replicated in hotel rooms? This is shameful. Rather than closing down Cuisle, we need to have more of these facilities. I ask Senators to attend a protest on this issue which will be held outside the gates between 12 noon and 2 p.m.

The second issue I raise is the language that we use in the Houses and what appeared to be the language of racism that was used in the other House yesterday. We all remember our letter from America - maybe not everybody remembers this - and the amount of money that flowed into this country from abroad, mainly the United States, in the 1950s and 1960s. Every household with relatives who had emigrated relied on the letter from America, a euphemism for an envelope with money in it that was used to keep the wolf from the door.