Page 69 of A Programme for a Partnership Government states:

We will develop services and specialties to support people at different stages in life. With a growing older population, it is necessary to build capacity in the psychiatry of later life.

One such facility is Rosalie care home in Castlerea, County Roscommon. The Minister for Health, the Department of Health and the HSE have stated this facility will continue to form part of the health service into the future. However, this morning the HSE has taken a unilateral decision to move 12 mostly older people with Alzheimer's disease and dementia without any decision being made on the future use of the facility. It is disgraceful treatment of residents and contradicts the programme for Government and stated HSE policy on the future of the facility. I want the Government to intervene directly in the issue as a matter of urgency.

On the same issue, I call Deputy Eugene Murphy who will be followed by Deputy Pearse Doherty.

I will not repeat verbatim what Deputy Naughten said, but what he said was true. A public statement will be issued later today indicating that the 12 people will be moved, despite in 2016 the then Minister for Health and now the Taoiseach giving a commitment in a letter which I have stating the facility would not be closed down. There are severe issues with the mental health service in County Roscommon. I understand a number of staff have moved because they are not happy with what is going on in the system.

I remind the Tánaiste of the 27 recommendations in the Roscommon report, but virtually none of them has been implemented. People in Roscommon have lost their lives because of neglect in the provision of mental health services. Families will never ever lose the pain they have suffered. I am mindful of those children today who have lost parents. Will the Tánaiste contact the HSE immediately and tell it that under no circumstances is the Rosalie unit to be closed? Will he ask the Minister to inquire into exactly what is happening with the services in Roscommon? I want the Minister to come into the House to answer questions on a Topical Issue matter on this most serious issue.

I also wish to raise this issue and we have raised it on numerous occasions. Our colleagues have attended public meetings there. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin raised this issue directly with Tánaiste as far back as the beginning of July last year. Commitments were given by the current Taoiseach and by the former Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch. The commitment was very clear, namely, that those patients who consider the Rosalie unit to be their home would be able to live out the rest of their days there. As of today, this Government has broken that commitment. The Taoiseach has broken his word, the former Minister of State has broken her word, and the Government, which the Tánaiste serves in, has broken its commitment to those individuals. Will the Tánaiste advise Breda and the other 11 patients why those in government have broken their word to those patients who were told they would be allowed to live out their days in that unit now that a decision has been taken to put them out of their home and to ask them to go to different counties, leaving their home county of Roscommon?

I understand that both the Minister, Deputy Harris, and the Minister of State, Deputy Daly, have undertaken that, no matter what, the building will form part of the future delivery of health services in the area and that will be discussed in the near future, but decisions need to be taken which are focused on patient care. We have to make sure that patients have the appropriate level of care for their needs. That is the only motivation here, as far as I understand.

What about the commitment given?

All the commitments given have been broken.

No. I referred to the commitment. This facility will be a future health facility.