Ivana Bacik (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. It is a beautiful Chamber, as the Minister of State has said, and it is lovely to be here. The matter I have raised is the need for the Minister for Health to make a statement on the situation regarding St. Mary's Centre Telford, Dublin 4, and the care of persons currently depending on the centre's services, along with his Department's plans to prevent such future situations arising in Irish nursing and care homes.

I know the Minister of State will be well aware of the situation but I will briefly outline it. St. Mary's Centre Telford on Merrion Road is a disability care facility for persons with disabilities, namely, women with sight disabilities and on the same complex, it also comprises a nursing home. There were previously over 50 residents in the nursing home.They have, over a very short period of time, been moved or relocated with significant adverse effects on many of them and their families. There are 18 persons still resident at the care facility, many of whom are very vulnerable and who have been living there for some time. Both of the facilities on the site are run by a company owned by the Sisters of Charity. Two members of that order are the sole shareholders of the company and the order owns the land.

The company owned by the Sisters of Charity just a few short months ago moved to close both facilities and is seeking liquidation of the company running the care homes. The matter is before the High Court and there may be another hearing today on it. There was a hearing on Monday at which former employees of the facility and residents sought to appoint an examiner to try to keep the premises going and maintain some sort of consistency of care for the residents who are still there. The judge refused that application and the law firm representing the former employees and the residents says that it may appeal. That matter is before the courts. I have met many of the former employees. Over 80 people were originally employed at the facilities. I have also met some of the residents who are still there and some of the families that were so severely affected when the closure announcement was made. There has been extensive coverage of this matter in the press. Hot Pressin particular has been very good and has covered the matter extensively. Indeed there is an article in today's edition of Hot Pressby Shamim Malekmian dealing with this issue. She speaks about the really serious effect this is having on very vulnerable persons and their families.

There is no doubt but that the Sisters of Charity, the order involved, has not dealt well with this, to put it mildly. There has been a shameful lack of care shown for the residents and staff involved. The unions involved are seeking to secure adequate redundancy payments for the former staff. That in itself is a significant issue and the company has not behaved well towards staff; nor has it behaved well towards residents. The order stands to gain enormously in monetary terms from the sale of the land which may be consequent upon this liquidation.

What is the State's involvement and why am I seeking a ministerial response? The Minister for Health clearly has a duty of care to these residents and arguably to the staff also, who have cared for residents through the Covid-19 crisis and who continue to care for the remaining residents. The HSE has funded the home extensively and Dublin City Council has an involvement too. I have, through Councillor Declan Meenagh, submitted questions to the council about its role. The council paid for the construction of the care facility and the housing for the 18 women who are currently still there. I understand that the provisional liquidator has suggested that the order might rent a premises to the HSE or extend the lease to ensure that women are not put out on the street. There is clearly a role for the State here. Whatever happens in the court with the order and the liquidator, the State has an obligation to those involved. It is in that context that I ask the Minister of State to make a statement on the issue today.