Eileen Lynch (Fine Gael)
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Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I want to highlight an urgent and important matter concerning disability services in my county of Cork, specifically the long-awaited completion and opening of the new building for the Pathways adult disability day services programme, which is hosted by Horizons, formerly known as Cope, in Montenotte in Cork city. This facility was promised as a modern, purpose-built space to support adults with intellectual disabilities. These are individuals who deserve access to safe, structured and supportive environments in order to live full, meaningful lives in their communities. Horizons previously provided two adult disability day services at the Bonnington training centre and the NASC training centre. Pathways was established as a new programme for adults who would not be suitable for either of the existing two programmes, given that these are adults with quite complex needs.

The families in Cork who were to be part of this programme were told an improved service would be delivered through this new service, yet today, despite massive anticipation, the building remains unopened. There is no confirmed timeline for when it will be fully completed or properly staffed, or when service users will actually be able to access the service. The seven approved service users do not currently have access to any service, despite being promised in June that this service through Pathways would be available in mid to late-September. To the best of my knowledge, the building is yet to be completed and is currently not staffed.

As we can imagine, this uncertainty is causing serious distress to families, who have been left in limbo. Parents and carers, many of whom are ageing themselves, are also carers for older family members or other children in the household. They are exhausted. I spoke to a parent last night who simply does not know what to do. Her adult son wants to go to a service but he cannot. He is missing his service. He finished his special school, the equivalent of secondary education, in June of this year. He wants to go back to school but he cannot. His mother does not know what to do. She is at the end of her tether. This is placing undue stress on her but, of course, it is also placing undue stress on her son as a service user.

These families have carried enormous responsibility. They were led to believe the facility would offer care and structure for their loved ones but also, as I said, peace of mind because they would be able to access the service. Instead, they have been left with inconsistent communication and a lack of transparency as to what is causing the delay. It is simply not good enough. The communication has been incredibly poor, at best. There have been a lot of phone calls, as opposed to emails and the reasons being put in writing, which, again, is something I would have an issue with.

This is about dignity, inclusion and the basic right to access a service for some of the most vulnerable in our society. It is about delivering on a commitment that was made. They were told this service would be put in place. I am seeking as clear an update as the Minister of State can provide as to when the building for Pathways in Montenotte will be completed, when it will be fully staffed and when these service users will be able to access the service. The families and service users deserve answers and security. We need accountability on this matter.

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I thank Senator Lynch for raising this important issue and offering me the opportunity to respond. Day services are Health Service Executive-funded programmes for people with intellectual disabilities, autism or complex physical disabilities. That includes a range of centre-based and community-based activities. Access to services is based on an individual’s needs rather than on their diagnosis. The focus is on supporting people to participate in mainstream activities and in the life of their community, in line with their wishes.

Pathways adult disability day service is part of Horizons adult day services in Montenotte, Cork. The HSE advises me that refurbishment works being carried out are expected to finish this month. In the interim, another area within Horizons, Montenotte, has been identified for the Pathways programme. The HSE further advises that the school leavers referred to this programme commenced their transition in the week commencing 29 September 2025. All parents have been contacted by Horizons, and weekly schedules have been sent out outlining the days their children will attend the service during the transition period.

The HSE has confirmed that the recruitment of staff for the Pathways programme is ongoing, with some of the staff currently in place. Staff are working with the young adults as part of the transition plan. Once recruitment is finalised for the staffing of the Pathways programme, the young adult service will increase to 30 hours per week. Families will be kept updated by Horizons on a weekly basis.

As the Senator knows, Government investment has enabled the development of much-needed locations, such as Pathways in Montenotte. Within the sector, the New Directions policy has guided a major programme of change to reconfigure adult services, based on the core values of person-centredness, community inclusion, active citizenship and high-quality service provision.

There are over 20,000 individuals with a disability in receipt of day services, together with a further 2,049 in rehabilitative training services. These services are provided at 1,091 locations around the country by 97 service provider agencies. As the Senator knows, we had the budget yesterday. A sum of €3.8 billion has been allocated for specialist disability services in the budget, representing a 20% increase year on year. This includes funding for a new cohort of 1,400 school leavers and also 50 day service places for non-school leavers, for example, people who acquire a disability later in life.

I acknowledge and agree with the Senator’s comments on the importance of dignity and inclusion. It is people in her constituency like the mother she was talking to last night who are the exact families and individuals we want to be able to accommodate when they leave school. That is why we have allocated 1,400 new day service places for school leavers for next year. With regard to the Montenotte facility, my advice from the HSE is that the refurbishment work will be completed this month. I will keep in contact with the Senator because I know it is something she has raised with me previously. We will keep in contact regarding progress and the delivery of the service.

Eileen Lynch (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for her response, which I appreciate. I welcome the funding under the Department in yesterday's budget and the extra hours for adult school leavers. I note what she has said on this issue. However, today is 8 October. I am a little sceptical that all the refurbishments will be done by mid-October. I am also concerned that, as per the Minister of State's reply, even if the building were to be finished tomorrow, it is still only partially staffed. How far along the line is the recruitment? Have jobs been offered and are awaiting acceptance, or is it at the advertising stage for these positions?

I take the Minister of State's point that the transition started on 29 September. Indeed, in the individual case I referred to, the person was reached out to, although, as I said, not in writing, which does not sit well with me. However, her son's issue is largely related to epilepsy and he often suffers epilepsy attacks. He has been in hospital for the past ten days, which prevented him from accessing his one day on site. These adult service users need routine and consistency. Even if he had been able to make his day, it would be very difficult for him to adjust to going into a different building than the one that the service will be provided in. The hours the service users will be getting during the transition period will not be the same. That lack of consistency and routine is unsatisfactory.

I genuinely appreciate the Minister of State's answer. I know things are ongoing and, obviously, they take time.

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I hear the concerns the Senator is raising. I will continue my engagement with the HSE to make sure the service gets up and running. I have been told by the HSE that some of the staff are in place and that recruitment is ongoing. I absolutely accept and understand the consistency and surety that are needed for individuals who want to use this day service, and they must get that. We need this building up and running. The recruitment drive is ongoing.I look forward to keeping in contact with the Senator and the HSE to make sure this is opened fully and staffed fully as quickly as possible. This is exactly where we want to go with our national disability strategy, ensuring we have residential, respite and day services in place with staffing. Let us keep in contact on this to ensure it is progressed as soon as possible.

Pat Casey (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for coming in this morning.