Every day in Ireland 11 people are diagnosed with dementia while 55,000 people are living with this condition in the country. I refer to St. Joseph's Shankill, which is an accredited Dementia Care Matters butterfly care home. There are 60 full-time residents living there and 120 day care places. Last week, news broke that this home care facility faces closure in the new year because of a funding crisis. A significant increase in funding from the National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF, has been requested as funding has not been received since 2006. As the Taoiseach will be well aware, people who have dementia also have complex needs and need complex care. Outside the gates of Leinster House I have just met people who work in this facility. I have met family members who have fathers and mothers there. They are absolutely devastated. Where are these people going to go if St. Joseph's Shankill is closed? What is the Government going to do to protect this facility?

Has Deputy Adams a question on the same matter?

No, I do not.

I had indicated.

I call Deputy O'Loughlin on the same issue.

I support my colleague, Deputy Butler. Some 55,000 people are now suffering from dementia and we know that figure will double in the next decade. We also know that 62% of those people are cared for at home with the help of family and support packages. Regarding those who have to go into a nursing home, however, St. Joseph's Shankill is the only dedicated nursing home for patients with Alzheimer's disease and dementia. At the invitation of Ms Siobhan Grant, I visited St. Joseph's last year and I was incredibly impressed with the level of care, support and love evident. A new model has been put into place using the butterfly approach. Instead of 60 people being in one institution, these patients are in six small centres. The work there is invaluable and I beseech the Taoiseach and the Minister to ensure that funding is allocated to keep this fabulous centre open.

I call Deputy Boyd Barrett on the same matter.

I asked the Taoiseach about this matter yesterday and the Minister for Health last week. We need a firmer commitment on this matter. It was stated yesterday that the HSE is engaging on the issue. We do not need engagement. Dementia sufferers and their families need a clear commitment that funding will be provided and the deficit will be made up. Interim funding is needed to avert the closure of the centre at the end of this year and a longer term solution is required to secure the future of this facility. The centre is in my area and even as I speak, a very good friend of mine is in there. My step-grandmother, for want of a better word, finished her life in there. This is a key facility in the area and it would be devastating for families if it closed. I appeal to the Taoiseach to give us a clearer commitment and not just talk of engagement.

I thank the Deputies for raising this important issue. I assure them that the Government's objective is to make sure that St. Joseph's Shankill stays open, that the services are protected and are made sustainable into the future. Both the HSE and the NTPF are engaging with St. John of God community services on that matter. It is important and valid to put on the record that funding per patient for this service is well above the average in Dublin and it is, indeed, one of the best funded services per head in the country. There may well be good and legitimate reasons for that, but it needs to be examined properly. If we pay too much in one area, other people will lose their service in another area and we cannot have that.