Shane Curley (Fianna Fail)
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Sula dtosaíonn muid leis an Seanadóir O’Reilly, I want to welcome four guests of Deputy Cormac Devlin to the Gallery. They are transition year students Claire Pegum, Áine Wyatt, Iris McMahon and Ellen Pluck. Tá fáilte rompu. It is great to see students coming in and witnessing democracy in action. We do appreciate it. Go raibh míle maith agaibh.

Sarah O'Reilly (Aontú)
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I am really disappointed that the Minister of State could not stay for my Commencement matter because it is connected to his Department. When will a new adult day services day centre for County Monaghan be developed? Has a location for the site been selected? Can the Minister responsible for disability provide a timeline for works to be completed?

There has been a lot of confusion on this over the past few years. I am working with a group called Special Needs Active Parents, SNAP, in County Monaghan that is trying to improve facilities and services for children with special needs and to improve services for children after they leave school. We want a bit of clarity. We get several minutes in this House for a debate on a topic, which I appreciate, but I want to know what stage the Department of disability is at with progressing an adult day centre for County Monaghan?

I have been working with my colleague in Monaghan, Olivia Larkin, on this and with the SNAP organisation's Paddy McAloon and the rest of the parents in that group. They have raised a number of issues related to the lack of disability services in County Cavan, but particularly in County Monaghan, which is more poorly serviced. There is a lack of respite services, special education places and a need to increase respite provision.

We have been told that a site has been selected for an adult day services centre, but the information has been sparse on where the site is and when it will be completed. The issue here is that families and their loved ones need to plan. Continuity and consistency for children with special needs is really important.The daily activation unit in Rooskey is fantastic but we need a building that can deliver more space and cater for different age groups and school leavers in particular. Originally, it was supposed to be a building at St. Louis convent in Monaghan and then an old fire station. In 2024, a submission for the unit to be based in St. Davnet's campus was completed and approved by the HSE for capital and by the property steering committee. We need a decision, action on the site and a timeline for opening. I ask the Minister of State to clarify those questions for me.

Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I would like to add to the list of TY students who are visiting the Chamber. Leo Rowley is here today with me. I also welcome Deputy Devlin's guests and all our guests to the Chamber.

I thank Senator O'Reilly for tabling this commencement matter. I would like to use this opportunity to outline exactly what is happening. I know that is something the Senator and SNAP are keen to happen.

The HSE has provided a status update. HSE Cavan-Monaghan disability services team, supported by the HSE north-east estates department made a submission for capital funding for a new day services premises to replace the existing Monaghan day activation unit premises based in the St. Davnet's campus in Monaghan town. The submission to support the development and the delivery of a new service location in County Monaghan in line with the new directions policy was approved as a capital appraisal project in 2024, as the Senator said.

HSE Cavan-Monaghan disability services is working with the HSE north-east estates to consider the best option for the delivery of the mainstream and high-support elements within the service location. They have carried out a strategic, healthcare investment framework assessment and that was completed last year. The HSE capital estates office is currently liaising with Cavan-Monaghan disability services to identify a suitable location in Monaghan town. The HSE provides specialist disability services, including day service and rehabilitative training, to people with disability who require such services and people with intellectual disabilities form the majority of service users who are supported by these services.

As the Senator will be aware, the focus is on supporting people to participate in mainstream activities and in the life of their communities in line with their wishes and needs. Day services are a vital support for adults with disabilities to be able to participate in the life of their community and to realise their own ambitions and desires.

Day service locations act as a base location for people supported to access and participate in valued roles in their communities in line with the new directions policy and UNCRPD. It is critical that new service locations comply with the core values of new directions, which are community inclusion, active citizenship, quality and person centeredness. Locations are developed in response to demographic growth as part of the annual rehabilitation school leaver process. Supports are provided from locations local to where the individuals with disabilities live. Locations are ideally centrally located within a village or town such as Monaghan, providing easy access to other community services, for example, transport, shops, leisure facilities and so on. Each location serves a local population, rather than serving the needs of a larger geographical area because each typically has capacity for no more than 25 people in the location at any one time. The expectation is that people will be away from the location and accessing local community services in line with their person-centred plan for part of the week. This recognises that much of the support is provided in the community in line with community inclusion and access to activities external to the location. That is where it is currently at in Monaghan.

Sarah O'Reilly (Aontú)
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I thank the Minister of State for her response but I still have not got clarity. The clarity I have been asking for is whether a location has been selected for the day services unit. The Minister of State said the HSE is looking in Monaghan. Is that Monaghan town? Do they have a location selected? There is also information that the site the HSE and the property steering group has approved for capital is deemed as a hospital setting so it cannot be used.This means there is still this confusion, and the Minister of State has not even mentioned this in her response. If this last site selection is deemed unsuitable because it is in a hospital setting, I want to get information for those parents and children looking in. The children need to know where they are going and their parents need to know they have a space, but we still have this obfuscation of where the location is going to be, if there is a site, if there is a design and if it is going to be built at all. What is the issue that is blocking this? Is the Minister of State still telling me that St. Davnet's campus is the location of the site, when there is information to say that site is now seen as not being suitable because it is deemed a hospital setting?

Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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What I am clearly saying is that we are looking to replace the existing Monaghan day activation unit, which is based in St. Davnet's campus in Monaghan town. Yes, we are looking at Monaghan town. The information I have from the HSE is that it is engaging locally with the HSE north-east estates department to identify a suitable site, so I do not have information that says a site has been identified. I am being told by the HSE directly that the HSE capital estates office is currently liaising with Cavan-Monaghan disability services and my Department to identify a suitable location in Monaghan town.

Sarah O'Reilly (Aontú)
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So, the location has not been identified.

Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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That is the information I have, correct.

Sarah O'Reilly (Aontú)
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Do we have a timeline?

Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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There is no timeline because it is ongoing. As soon as it is identified we will have further information, because once we have an identified site, we will then know from a planning perspective how long things will take. It is really important to say that funding was approved as a capital appraisal project for this, so there is funding earmarked for this project. It is something we are very committed to delivering. We know there is a need there and we want to replace the existing facility, and this is how we do that. We engage with the local service providers to see where there is capacity and suitable premises and then we work with them to turn that suitable premises into a service for the type of people the Senator has identified and spoken about and for the people SNAP is dealing with directly in her area. This is what happens around the country.

Sarah O'Reilly (Aontú)
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I thank the Minister of State.