Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I thank her sincerely for taking time out of her busy schedule to be here this afternoon. The topic I wish to discuss with the Minister of State is one she and I have discussed numerous times, which is the chronic lack of respite services for children with disabilities in County Monaghan. As the Minister of State knows, parents are at their wits' end. They are exhausted and at the end of their tethers looking after and caring for their loved ones, which they will do as long they are fit to do it. The lack of availability of respite services is hurting those people. The lack of services in County Monaghan has existed for many years, long before the Minister of State took up office. I would like to put on the record my sincere thanks to the Minister of State because every time I mentioned this subject to her, she had a listening ear and attempted on every occasion to try to find a solution. I know she has been working on one. For any child with a disability in County Monaghan, there is no respite service available. The only option is to go to County Cavan to try to find respite services there. If the service was available in County Cavan, that would be fine and we could live with that. Unfortunately, the respite service for children with disabilities in County Cavan is only available every other week. I understand from recent figures that approximately 33 children with disabilities have received respite services in County Cavan. They could do with many more hours but they are not available. Currently, 57 people are on a waiting list for respite hours which unfortunately are not available. It is estimated that many more are looking for that service but do not even come forward because they know the service is simply not available. It indicates that there is a serious problem that needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency. We need to address the chronic shortage and, concurrently, find a solution and a service in County Monaghan for those children and families who so richly deserve it. I know the Minister of State met those families and she knows what they are going through daily. God knows they need a break. I would like to get an update on the work which I know the Minister of State has been doing behind the scenes. I know she met the HSE and the families because I also attended those meetings. Will the Minister of State provide an update on that situation? I hope she will have some positive news for those families to latch onto.

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Senator Gallagher for raising the important issue before the House today. Respite services are a priority of mine all over the country. To be quite honest, the lack of respite services when I came into this portfolio was one of the reasons I made it a priority. The Senator identified an issue in his county of Cavan. There is no doubt that the current arrangement cannot stay as is. The status quo cannot stay in place when two counties are sharing children's respite on alternative weekends. It is no longer acceptable that Annalee View Respite Centre provides children's respite every second week. That is why I tasked the HSE in 2023, particularly in the Senator's area of CHO 1, to draft current need of actions to do with respite in Counties Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Cavan and Monaghan. To be fair to the disability manager in the Senator's area, Edel Quinn, she prioritised the case for needing a stand-alone children's respite house in County Monaghan.The proposal has gone forward to the HSE with her recommendations and my additional recommendations. As I stand before the House here today I can say that we have allocated and sourced €15 million in this year's budget and I do not find it acceptable that children must share respite on alternative weekends in the Senator's area so this is now a priority. The priority of funding has been ring-fenced in order that Annalee House can become an adults-only service so that we can provide respite to the families, not every second week of adult children but every week. At the same time a new house for children in Monaghan will be procured. That will mean we will be able to provide respite to 85 families. The Senator has told me that 57 people are already waiting and there are 36 in receipt. We should just actually hit the baseline of the requirement. We will not exceed it but 85 places is when you have a fully functioning service that works 7-7. At the moment, Steadfast House provides 840 bed nights. The facility only operates 36 weeks of the year and it does not work 7-7 by any manner or means. To be very fair to Edel, she has funding available if the staff can be sourced. That can go at full tilt. We, in the interim, can provide additional resources there as well. On the capital and revenue piece to operationalise a service in the Senator's county, the funding is there. It is ring-fenced. The case has been made to the national office, which is supported by my office and the disability manager. Now it is a matter of putting plans into action and funding is not an issue.

Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for her positive response. Respite has been a problem for many a long year and long before she came into office over three years ago. Again, I thank her for taking on board the issue that particularly arises in County Monaghan and, indeed, to a lesser extent in County Cavan. She has delivered the positive news that €15 million is ring-fenced.

The Minister of State mentioned Steadfast House, of which the Minister of State and I spoke about. The facility only operates 36 weeks in the year but it has capacity, subject to staff being available to do more. I welcome that news as well. The new facility for County Monaghan is very much welcome.

I have a final question and I am not putting the Minister of State's head on the block here. When does she estimate the much-needed new facility for County Monaghan will be up and running?

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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The Senator is welcome. To be quite honest with him, I can answer his question in two ways. If it is a section 38 or 39 organisation that can purchase the property, in conjunction with the HSE, then the project can be turned around really quickly. If it is HSE estates that I must depend on to deliver the project then I will wait. My ask is that we would partner with a section 38 or 39 organisation that already delivers services and knows the families in the area. Such a project can be operationalised very quickly. The revenue funding is there for it. If there were a property that was a four or five-bedroom house then that could be repurposed into providing respite care. Normally, when we consider respite care I look at the two front-door models for children, which are children who have mild to moderate needs and children who have more sensory needs. Edel, who is the disability manager and in whom I have full confidence, will certainly make the project her priority.

I have a further comment and ask the Acting Chairperson to be flexible.

Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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Yes.

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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We are also working on providing day services in Monaghan. That is getting full priority within my Department at the moment. Ms Áine Kilroy is in my Department. She is working furiously to address the shortage of day services in the Senator's area so that we build capacity because the constituents know that there is a capacity issue coming down the tracks, and we are trying to get ahead of that.

Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State because she is always ready and willing to come into this House to answer Commencement matters, Private Members' motions and any other area that she is requested to do so. Her participation is always appreciated and it is appreciated today as well.

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Acting Chairperson.The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, is very welcome to the House. She will take the next five Commencement matters so she will be here a while.