Mark Wall (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Burke, to the House. I wish to raise an issue which is very important for many people in Monasterevin, County Kildare. This issue has been going on since 2014. I am seeking an update, and wish to go through some detail with the Minister of State. The day care centre in Monasterevin was closed by HSE Estates in 2014 on health and safety grounds, and since then Monasterevan Gaelic Football Club, GFC, has kindly allowed the day care committee to rent its pavilion to continue this service on an interim basis.The users, the committee and the entire town of Monasterevin are deeply grateful to Monasterevan GFC for the use of its premises. However, the arrangement will cause increasing problems for Monasterevan GFC as, with reducing Covid restrictions, the club will need its facilities more. This could limit the time allotted to the day care service and the services the centre provides to many in the community. Planning permission for the refurbishment and development was granted 18 months ago on 27 May 2020. In further good news, the fire safety and disabled access certificates were approved in April of this year. In a recent reply to a parliamentary question from my colleague, Deputy Duncan Smith, the Minister advised that the project continues to progress to tender stage and, in a further reply, that all capital development proposals must progress through a number of approval stages, including planning and design, before a firm timeline or funding requirement can be established.

The Monasterevin day care committee is a voluntary organisation trying to fulfil a need in the community with the help of the HSE. Its founding members developed with the help of the HSE and HSE estates the day care centre in 1996, 25 years ago. Over the years, the centre acquired a special place in the lives and affections of the community. It was a great shock to the town and a loss to the community when the centre closed in 2014, a loss which is still felt sorely. The community of Monasterevin looks forward to the reopening of the Monasterevin day care centre. I know a number of those who attend the centre and it is their life. Without it, many of them would have a huge void. For many, it is their only social outlet and I would appreciate any assistance on this important matter. The committee is working night and day to reopen the centre. I have spoken to many users over the last couple of days and they have been in contact with me over a long period. They are looking to go back to the old centre they were in in 2014. The facilities in Monasterevan GFC are excellent but we need a purpose-built unit. I look forward to the Minister of State's reply.