Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for giving me the opportunity to address this matter. He has long advocated for the opening of the group home in Carrickmacross, and I thank him for the raising this important matter again today.

As the Senator knows, there have been protracted negotiation between HSE community healthcare organisation, CHO, 1 disability services and the Respond housing agency regarding the lease agreement for the Bóthar Oirialla group home in Carrickmacross. I can inform the Senator that HSE estates confirmed it has received and has now forwarded the full suite of executed lease documentation to the HSE solicitors to support the final handover of the premises to HSE CHO 1 disability services. The HSE solicitors will forward these documents to Resilience, the contracted service provider, once documentation is fully reviewed.

HSE CHO 1 is awaiting contact from the approved housing body, Respond, to arrange handover of the premises and will then immediately complete the local licence arrangement with the service provider, Resilience. Resilience met all residents at meetings during quarter 4 of 2021. While the residential service is awaited, various supports and interventions are in place for residents, determined by the individuals’ needs. The HSE advises that the full staffing complement has been recruited by the care provider and a person in charge of the unit has been identified.

As the Senator will be aware, all designated centres for people with disabilities are required to register with the office of the chief inspector of HIQA. Once the HSE is in receipt of the keys to hand over the premises to the contracted service provider, Resilience can lodge its registration application to HIQA.

In some positive news for the Senator, the HSE has advised me today that the Carrickmacross group home should be open for residents to move in by the end of March. I know the Senator and others in the community have been waiting a long time for this home to become a reality. I am acutely aware there have been a number of delays over recent years, but I have kept a close eye on developments in Carrickmacross and it is welcome that we are now so close to this becoming a new home for five residents. I am sure this will be a huge relief and an exciting update for families who need reassurance the facility will be open and running.

My Department has provided the money and worked closely with the HSE to ensure that whatever obstacles were in the way since the matter was brought to my attention were addressed.This has been done in conjunction with the requirements to ensure the building will meet inspection once the handover is complete.

We are not talking about having more of a protracted process. This house is now available for residents to move into. It did not open at the end of the fourth quarter of 2021 because it was around Christmas and a period of transition. Some people did not want to make that full move; there was only one resident who was interested in the move at the time. We are now doing it at the end of the first quarter of 2022.