Keith Swanick (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I echo the sentiments of Senators Gallagher, Feighan and Marie-Louise O'Donnell on the Cuisle facility at Donamon in County Roscommon, which is very close to my heart and is a vital cog in providing respite to people with disabilities. I welcome members of the public who are here today to protest and are trying to save the facility. They are from all over Connacht, the midlands and the north west.It is a really good facility. I also welcome the public representatives who have travelled here. The service users and their families really appreciate this facility. It is not adequate for the Irish Wheelchair Association, IWA, to suggest that this service could be outsourced to hotels and that these people could be accommodated there. This fails to consider the wealth of experience that the staff have accumulated in providing care for these individuals over the years. The facilities in hotels might be comparable to the facilities in Cuisle, but that does not take into account the wealth of experience staff members have in looking after these people.

I will also comment on the infrastructure. It is a fantastic facility which has a spa, hydro pools and jacuzzis. Much of this infrastructure was made possible by public fundraising over the years. It is a disgrace that it is being closed with only 30 days' notice. This has been parachuted upon staff members and families. There has been no consultation whatsoever. It is simply not good enough.

I want to mention the extensive fundraising for this facility that has taken place over the years. I will also highlight the serious questions that need answering. I brought this up in the private session of the Joint Committee on Health today. That is one of the reasons the Chair and members of the committee have agreed to invite the board of the IWA before it to answer questions. There are governance issues at play. We need to talk about the financial arrangements within the IWA, specifically in respect of the Donamon facility. Are there financial irregularities in this regard? There has been no consultation. The Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, has been lacklustre in his enthusiasm to support the users of the service and their families. It is not good enough. This decision has been rushed. There are serious questions to be answered. I look forward to questioning the IWA when it appears before the Joint Committee on Health. It is important that this issue be highlighted. I thank my fellow Senators for their support on this matter.