Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I raise an issue I have been made aware of with respect to mental health services in my home county of Longford. I have been told that the HSE plans to close a five-bed unit at Hillcrest House in Longford, reducing the number of beds available from 15 to ten. No correspondence has been sent to any of the Oireachtas Members. We are hearing about this without warning. I do not think it is acceptable that people are going to have to travel to outside counties to avail of support. That is unacceptable. I ask for correspondence to be sent to the Minister for Health outlining my objections and those of the people of Longford who support people in the mental health services area.

Friday was a great day. I was in the Gibson Hotel when the Minister, Deputy Harris, announced that ten universities will be rolling out third level courses for children with intellectual disabilities and those on the autism spectrum. This follows on an engagement the Joint Committee on Autism had with Trinity College Dublin, which set up a course. The first college to take the lead in this regard was Dundalk Institute of Technology, which started offering a course in 2010. That course is still available. Ten universities are now providing opportunities for teenagers and their families, which is heartening. I started advocating as a parent because I want to ensure that supports will be available in the future for my son and others and that they will be given opportunities. I will be engaging with the Minister, Deputy Harris, to ensure that all universities get involved. A number of them, including the Technological University of the Shannon, TUS, in Athlone, which is in my area of the midlands, did not come through the original screening. I have been talking to and working with the university to get the support and finance required in order that these fantastic courses are available in every part of the country. I compliment the Minister, Deputy Harris, and everybody else involved for making sure that this happens.