Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister of State. This is the third time I have raised this on the Commencement and he has responded on two occasions.

In 2005, Tir na nOg opened with ten children to meet the demand for respite care in Carlow and the surrounding area. Eleven years later, 42 children were using the weekend respite service with a waiting list of more than 30 children. The centre was located in a house on a private estate in Carlow town, which was funded by the HSE. In December 2015, this facility closed because the house was too small. Prior to that, the doors had to be widened and a hoist installed but the house was still not big enough for what was needed. Given the new rules and regulations, HIQA came in and that was why it closed.

In March 2016, to fulfil the desperate need for a respite centre, an alternative day respite service was set up. On Friday, between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., and on Saturdays and Sundays between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., children are picked up and brought to the Delta Centre. The core issue is no emergency or overnight respite service is available in Carlow or Kilkenny. Only ten children use the emergency facility established by the Minister of State. An overnight respite service is needed most. A total of 42 children were using the weekend respite service with a waiting list of more than 30 children and this continues to increase. Originally, a businessman from Carlow town donated a site to Tir na nOg. The centre set up a fundraising committee for a new building. A price of €350,000 was quoted at the time and we forwarded this to the Department. That is a not a significant amount to provide a service for the most vulnerable in our community but the new build did not happen. All we have now is the weekend service.

I brought this issue to the attention of the HSE south east through Councillor Arthur McDonald who words with me three times over the past six months. The centre has been closed for 14 months but we keep being told it was being looked at and that nothing had been signed. The Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, who replied on the last occasion I raised this matter, said the funding was in place but no lease had been signed. That is not acceptable. Yesterday in the House, I raised a recent survey on vacant properties in Carlow. The county has one of the highest vacancy rates in the country, along with Dublin, Galway and Waterford. The HSE says it cannot find a suitable vacant property in Carlow town. Officials are considering a property in Bagnelstown. They are saying they do not know if it is suitable and no lease has been signed. There has been no update. This is 14 months later and the overnight respite service remains closed.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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I am sure the Minister of State will allay the Senator's fears.

Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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I thank the Senator for raising this issue and I accept her frustration regarding respite services. I welcome the opportunity to outline the current position. Holy Angels Day Care Centre is a disability agency providing services, including a preschool service, for children with disabilities in Carlow. The facility is funded on an annual basis by the HSE under section 39 of the Health Act and it received funding of approximately €720,000 in 2015. Respite services for the parents of children in Carlow were previously provided by Holy Angels Tir na nOg in Carlow. Since 2013, the services delivered by Tir na nOg have been under the remit of the independent regulatory body, HIQA, in respect of the standards of care being delivered.

In December 2015, the Holy Angels Day Care Centre advised HIQA and the HSE of the decision of the board of management to close the centre from January 2016 after they received notice from the landlord. On 16 December 2015, the HSE disability services manager wrote to the care centre requesting the development of a plan regarding an alternative approach to respite service provision to be completed In consultation with families, notifying them of the discontinuation of the existing respite service. Families were invited to meetings in January 2016 regarding respite services. To address current respite provision requirements, in March 2016 an alternative respire provision was set up in partnership with the HSE and Holy Angels. In 2016, €140,000 was allocated for the provision of respite services by Holy Angels. This is currently being provided by Holy Angels in the Delta Centre as an interim arrangement. This service is ongoing and the HSE is liaising with Holy Angels in this regard.

The matter of providing overnight respite services to families of Carlow and Kilkenny is of key importance to the HSE and to the Senator and myself. I understand that a venue for respite service delivery has now been agreed and is being finalised on a two-year lease. A tender process for service provision was completed on 27 January 2017. The tender evaluation for the provision of respite services in Carlow-Kilkenny is ongoing and has almost been concluded. It is anticipated that a recommendation to proceed on the basis of the evaluation process will be issued to the head of procurement, and thereafter to the budget holder, this week. The successful agency will then have to seek HIQA registration and this process can take up to six months. I also share the Senator's frustration in this regard. The HSE, via the successful agency, will request that HIQA fast-tracks the registration process which would be approximately four months. It is hoped, therefore, that services will commence to provide overnight respite services in July 2017 at the earliest, depending on the HIQA process.

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Fianna Fail)
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I am so disappointed by this reply. We are 14 months on. This has gone to tender but the HSE will not say where the site is. The least officials could do is tell the people of Carlow-Kilkenny where it is. Everything is top secret, which is unacceptable. The Holy Angels accommodation is in prefabs. A new school was promised five years ago with a €5 million contract. The reason €140,000 was allocated last year was to fix leaks in the roof and because it was unfit for purpose. This is unacceptable. No respite service is available and we still do not know where the centre will be located. We are still waiting on the tender. The HSE and the Department have a duty to tell those who avail of the service where it will be provided. July is another five months away, which means it will be 18 months since the centre closed. The tender will come back to the Minister of State and the health board over the next two weeks. Parents should be told where the tender is for. We have been told the tender has been going on for six months. Will the Minister of State clarify where the tender is for?

Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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I share the Senator's frustration regarding delays over the past few months and I take her point regarding the school.There have been three positive developments in terms of respite care. First, the matter will go to the head of procurement and thereafter to the budget holder this week. Second, I understand the Senator's frustration about possible delays with HIQA, but I must observe certain standards as Minister of State. I will ask HIQA to fast-track the registration process. Third, I will talk to the HSE about the valid points raised by the Senator about the tender process and other issues relating to respite. They must be acted on. There is no point in having a service plan and budget of €1.688 billion for disability services in 2017 if a group of parents cannot get respite in Carlow-Kilkenny. I will take the Senator's point to the HSE and push it strongly.

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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I am sure that the Minister of State will communicate developments to the Senator. I thank both Members.