Decongregation funding and pensions
Deputy John McGuinness raised decongregation policy, funding shortfalls, staff pensions and redundancy, and the position of service users waiting for placements. The Taoiseach said he could not do justice to the multiple issues without more detail and asked for the concerns to be sent in writing.
I raise the policy of decongregation and the funding of it. Many young adults are now being taken from institutionalised settings such as St. Patrick's in Kilkenny and placed in community homes throughout the city. I believe the policy is successful but it lacks funding. The consequences for staff members are that they still remain within the setting but they are not being paid properly and are not being given redundancy. Their pensions are at issue and the HSE is not in a position to respond to them.
The other consequence is that the clients of the service who are waiting to be put in homes, where a home is available, are waiting for €600,000 to fund it.
As a further consequence, a young man has been left in St. Luke's Hospital since November of last year. The bed is costing €1,000 a day and everyone agrees it is an inappropriate setting, but the senior officials in the HSE will not give sanction for the funding necessary to take that young man, whose health is deteriorating, out of the hospital and put him into the appropriate setting he deserves.
Comment on this
I am afraid I am not. The Deputy has raised many important issues, including pensions, redundancy, decongregation policy and a question about an individual. I would not be able to do him justice by giving him an answer without having a better understanding of the issues he is raising. If he sends me something in writing, I will ensure the Minister of State with responsibility for disabilities is made aware of it.